Kingdom Hearts: Chronicles of the Heart
by Shinja1985
Summary: REVISED. Sora and his friends travel to different worlds to search for Kairi's memories. Based on Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles.
1. The Journey Begins

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

A/N: After watching the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, I began to say to myself, "Hey, this is similar to Kingdom Hearts in a way." So I decided to give this a try. Oh, one more thing, the characters will be wearing their KH2 costumes in this one, just for a lack of description.

A/N 2: One more thing, this whole thing will not be entirely Kingdom Hearts, it will just have some Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle theme in it. In other words, the whole Keyblade, Keyhole, Heartless, Nobodies, etc., etc. will still play a part in this while elements of TRC will be in play. I apologize to the viewers for any complications.

* * *

_A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory…_

_A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream…_

_I want to line the pieces up…_

_Yours and mine…_

* * *

A young teenaged boy watched on helpless. The boy could not do anything to save the one person that he held dear to him. Separating him from this teenaged girl was an unbreakable glass. The boy and the girl would only place their hands on the window. They desperately wanted to hold each other in their arms, but fate was denying them the chance to have that happiness. All they could do was stare into each other's eyes in sadness.

In an unknown dimension of darkness, these two children were trapped in a tube, separated from each other.

The boy grew frustrated at being powerless to help his friend. The girl watched as her friend tried to pound the glass down. However, this magical glass would not let down. It continued to stand between the helpless children.

Suddenly, light began to show up behind the girl. Then, an unseen force pulls her away from the glass. The boy was realized what was happening. He wanted to stop what was happening. The girl reached out towards her friend with tears in her eyes, while the boy continued to pound on the window in desperation to save her.

"KAIRI!!"

* * *

**_Chapter 1: The Journey Begins_**

* * *

It was a peaceful day on a tropical island, Destiny Islands. This tropical island sanctioned a great peaceful kingdom. Men, women, and children were enjoying their time on a sunny day. It was a beautiful day for the children to play outside and have some fun. The adults would usually be working at this beautiful day or they were meeting up with some friends.

In the middle of Kingdom of Destiny Islands, a young teenaged boy, Sora, carrying his backpack, entered a small house. It appears this youth is living alone in this house. As he set his backpack down, he approached his desk, where he picks up a small frame, containing a photo of his younger self and an adult male.

"I'm home, Dad," Sora said to the man in his frame.

Sora heard someone knocking on his door and he set the frame down to answer it. As he opened the door, he was met with an unexpected visitor.

"Sora!"

This teenaged girl, Kairi, leaped into Sora, wrapping her arms around his neck, like how a puppy would react at his/her owner's return. Sora was caught off guard and off balance and fell back with Kairi still on top of him.

"Welcome home, Sora!" Kairi said in joy, "How was the digging at those caverns? Did you get hurt? Are you feeling okay? I hope you were eating right, Sora!"

"Oh…yes. I'm fine, Princess," Sora replied.

"'Princess?'" Kairi held a disappointed look on her face.

"Something wrong?" Sora asked.

"I told you not to call me 'Princess' any more." Kairi pouted in front of Sora due to his politeness.

"But Princess…" Sora tried to reason with her that even though they are friends, she was still a Princess. But Kairi was not going to have it that way.

"It's Kairi," Kairi interrupted, "I told you to just call me by my name."

"Oh…um, uh…" Sora didn't know what to say. He was at a loss for words. It's not that he didn't want to address her by her name, he just didn't want to be rude to her.

"Kai-ri," she pronounced, insisting him.

"Ka…Kairi." Kairi smiled that Sora finally addressed her by her name instead of her title. Then, the young princes realized that she was still on top of her friend.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said worryingly, "Am I hurting you?" Kairi immediately got off of Sora and sat on her knees facing the other direction, hiding the fact that she was also blushing. Fortunately for her, Sora didn't take notice of her embarrassment as he sat up cross-legged. "But seriously, I'm glad you're back, Sora," she said.

"It's good to be back," he said in relief.

Sora and Kairi stood up from the ground, dusting themselves off. "How long will you be staying home this time?" the young Princess asked.

"Actually, I just came home to get some new clothes. I have to get back to those caverns again later tonight," he explained to Kairi.

"Oh…I see…" Kairi pouted in disappointment that he wasn't going to be around long enough.

While packing some things in his backpack, Sora realized another reason why he was back in town. "But you know what? I do have to buy some supplies for our dig. Do you want to walk with me?" Sora offered. Kairi's face brightened up at the idea of Sora still being around. She happily took Sora's invitation, wanting to spend so much time with her childhood friend.

* * *

As the two walked together in the shopping district, Kairi looked around the place, as if she was suspicious about the place.

"What's wrong, Kairi?" he asked out of concern, "You look like you're worried about something."

"It's just that every time I tell my brother I'm going to visit you, he get cranky about it," Kairi explained.

"The King just only wants to protect his sister," he reasoned.

"I don't know. It feels like he's just picking on my like a bully," she sighed.

As they continued walking, Kairi spotted a fruit stand where they sold some fresh golden paopu fruits.

Kairi took a good look at them. "Wow, these look so good!" she said happily to Sora, "Sora, let's make these our treat for the day."

"If you want, you can take as many as you wish," the fruit stand owner said with courtesy.

"Are you sure?" Kairi asked the owner.

"Of course! You are our Princess, after all," she said.

When word of Kairi being amongst the people, everyone gathered around Sora and Kairi, but mainly Kairi. The people were so happy to see Kairi in person and they wanted to pay her tribute.

"The people here really love their Princess," Sora thought to himself.

"There she is! Over there!"

Sora and Kairi noticed a group of men outside the crowd. They were palace guards. It was most likely that Kairi's brother sent them.

"If I'm caught, they'll make me go back to the palace. What am I going to do?" Kairi was worried that her day with Sora was going to get cut short. However, her worries were cut short when Sora took her by her hand. Kairi looked at Sora, confused on why he was holding her hand.

"Let's go." Sora immediately made a run for it with Kairi trying to run behind Sora. Kairi realized that Sora was just trying to get them out of there. She couldn't be more happier. This meant that they will still spend more time together before Sora went back.

* * *

Sora and Kairi made it to the beach of their town, exhausted, and hand-in-hand. They ran so fast and so hard that the two childhood friends fell back on the shingles with the ocean nearly touching their feet.

"I haven't that fast since we were little," Kairi said tiredly.

"Me neither," Sora replied wearily. When Sora faced Kairi, he immediately realized that he was very close his Princess. Out of embarrassment, he tried to move away from her. Kairi tightened her grip on his hand, making him stop in his tracks.

"Can we stay like this a little while longer?" Kairi asked.

Sora didn't know what to think. Yet, after seeing how happy Kairi was, he decided to go with her wishes to keep her in that mood.

Sora and Kairi stayed in that position until sunset came. Both teenagers sat up from the ground and watched the beautiful sunset out into the ocean. They watched the sun setting behind another island where Sora continued his dig inside the island's mysterious caverns, along with other diggers.

"It was my late father's dream to excavate the caverns at that island," said Sora.

"It's been five years, hasn't it?" Kairi said, "That was when you first arrived here in this kingdom."

Sora and Kairi remembered that time like it was yesterday. Sora and his father knelt before the late ruler of Destiny Islands, Ansem the Wise, and his granddaughter, Princess Kairi during that time.

"My father was an archeologist. He asked your grandfather for permission to investigate those caverns on the nearby island," Sora recalled.

"That was also the first time we met each other," she recalled.

"During the excavation, my father passed away. Yet, he always told me that he's lived a happy life," said Sora, "In the end, he was smiling." Sora continued to look at that nearby island. He didn't take notice of a concerning look on his friend's face.

"Sora, have you decided about living with me in the palace?" Kairi asked with a small hint of hope.

"In the palace?" he asked, "That would be too strange."

"No, it wouldn't!" she replied, "You and I have been best friends ever since we were little, Sora."

Sora stood up from the ground, looking off to the horizon. "I know, but it's not right for me to live in the palace. I'm not of royal descent," he reasoned out, "Besides, the pay I get from my work at the caverns is good enough for me."

"But still…I hardly ever get to see you anymore because of your work," she said, "It gets really lonely without you." Hearing this got Sora's full attention. Sora hadn't realized that Kairi really felt this way because of his work. "Don't you get lonely, Sora?" asked the young Princess.

"Of course I get lonely," he answered, "But excavating those caverns is me and my dad's—"

"I know, Sora," she interrupted, "It you and your dad's dream. I realize that, but still…I just really want to see you." Sora knelt down besides Kairi. "Whenever I go to sleep at night, I always think to myself, 'I wonder what Sora is doing. I wonder if he's thinking about me,'" she explained to Sora.

"I do think about you." This caused Kairi to smile. Sora really was thinking about her, despite the hard work he had to go through. "I…think about you a lot, Kairi," Sora said trying to comfort her.

"You know what? I…" Kairi was about to get her words out of her mouth. "I have something really important to tell you, Sora. Sora, I…" Before Kairi could tell Sora what it was, the sound of chapel bells rang, startling both Sora and Kairi and causing them to fall to the ground.

Sora got up to his feet and helped Kairi up to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it just startled me a little," Kairi assured, "I guess it's time for me to go home." Kairi packed the papou fruit that she bought with her.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Sora offered.

"No, it's okay," she politely refused and turning around to leave, "Sora, about what I was going to say, I'll tell you when I see you again, okay?"

"Hmm, okay," Sora replied.

"I'll really tell you, I promise," she said. With that in mind, Kairi walked off towards her palace.

Sora watched as his friend walked home. "It's not good to have this feeling, is it, Dad?" he asked, "We may be best friends, but that doesn't change the fact that she's the Princess of this kingdom."

* * *

In the middle of the evening, at the Destiny Islands Palace, Kairi looked around the Grand Hall to see if the coast was clear. Kairi sighed in relief to see that no one was around. The worst that could happen was if her brother was around. She tried to tiptoe out of there, trying to prevent her footsteps from being heard. Unfortunately, the sound of a young man caught her attention.

"You're not as sneaky as you think, Kairi."

Kairi gasped in fright at the sound of the voice. Look the old saying, she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She found her brother sitting on his throne, watching her. "I'm home, Taikai."

"You were out with that punk again, weren't you?" Taikai asked.

"He's not a punk! His name is Sora!" Kairi shot back.

"Hmph, I like the name "punk" better," Taikai continued to make his sister angry.

Kairi stomped her way up to Taikai and got in his face. "I said he's not a punk!" Kairi said angrily, "He's been working hard, he takes care of himself, and he doesn't need anyone to do things for him!"

"Either way, he will still be a punk to me," Taikai said.

"Well, you're wrong!" Kairi shot back.

"Now, now, you two. Let's not fight amongst ourselves," said a man, coming in with a rolled up sheet of paper.

"Sir Zenrei!" Kairi said in excitement.

"I just received a report from the excavation team," Zenrei reported. He led the two siblings to a table and rolled out the sheet of paper, showing diagrams of the caverns that Sora was working at. In particular, he showed the inside of the caverns where he had what seemed like a giant door highlighted.

"Are these the caverns?" the Princess asked.

"Yes," Zenrei answered, "Based on the reports, there's more to these caverns than meets the eye," Zenrei continued, "For example, they found this door, which I've highlighted, at the end of the caverns, but the problem is that they can't seem to get it open."

"Really?" Kairi became interested in what Sora found in the caverns.

"They won't be able to see what's beyond that door until they can find some way to unlock it," Zenrei explained.

"So that means…" Kairi said with interest.

"That means that punk will have his hands full for practically months," Taikai interrupted with the intention of teasing his little sister.

"You are such a bully, Taikai!" Kairi yelled. Kairi stormed out of the Grand Hall, running to her room, leaving Taikai and Zenrei watching her go.

"That was rather harsh, Your Majesty," Zenrei said, "You know the Princess is sensitive about that subject."

"Zenrei, you don't have to address me with a title when we're the only ones here," said Taikai.

"But still…" Zenrei said.

"You and I have been friends ever since we were kids," Taikai assured.

* * *

Elsewhere, Sora sailed on his boat towards the other island. Before he continued onward, he took another look at Kairi's palace. He knew it was going to be a long while before he could come back. That would only mean that he and Kairi weren't going to see each other for a long time. Nonetheless, Sora still wanted to carry out his work and fulfill his dream and continued sailing to the island.

* * *

"That punk just gets on my nerves," Taikai said, looking out of his window, watching the other island, "But you did say that he's the one for her, right?"

"Yes, Sora is the one destined for Princess Kairi," Zenrei answered, "However, I saw in my vision that there would be many obstacles standing in their way," he continued, "The Princess is gifted with special powers, although I don't know what kind of power that is. But one thing, though, that power is something that could even change the worlds. Not to mention, that power will also bring great consequences."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a world of darkness, a dark city, illuminated with neon lights everywhere, a conspiracy was about to take form. A tall, muscular man with a black-hooded trench coat was observing a mysterious young teenager, wearing the same trench coat, encased in a large liquid tube, kept in suspended animation. With the man, there was a young blonde woman wearing the same trench coat.

"One shall live in an imitation of time as an image of imitation within a mirror…" Xemnas spoke, "And so, it has begun…"

* * *

Elsewhere, at the Disney Castle, Donald, Goofy, Minnie, and Daisy read a letter placed on Mickey's desk.

_Donald,_

_Sorry to rush off without sayin' goodbye, but there's trouble brewin'. Not sure why, but the stars have been blinkin' out, one by one. And that means disaster can't be far behind. I hate to leave you all, but I've gotta go check into it. There's someone with a "key"—the key to our survival. So I need you and Goofy to find him, and stick with him. Got it? We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Lulu. She'll point you in the right direction._

_P.S._

_Would ya apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks, pal._

"Oh, dear! What could this mean?" asked Daisy.

"We have no choice," Minnie answered, "We have to trust the king."

"Gawrsh, I sure hope nothing happens to him," Goofy commented.

"Your Highness, don't worry. We'll find the king and this "key," Donald announced.

"Yes. Thank you both," Minnie said in relief.

"By the way, Daisy, can you handle the—" Donald requested.

"Of course, Donald," she said, "Please be careful, you two."

"Oh, and to chronicle your journey, he will accompany you," Minnie said, showing…something on the desk.

Donald looked around to see who Minnie was talking about in particular. He looked around until he saw a little character jumping up and down for Donald's attention. "Over here! Cricket's the name. Jiminy Cricket, at your service," Jiminy announced.

"We pray for your safe return, Donald," Minnie said, "Please do everything you can to help the king."

Donald saluted to Minnie and Daisy. When he looked next to them, he saw Goofy saluting to him, apparently trying to back out. Donald snatched Goofy's arm, taking him with him. Goofy was going whether or not he likes it.

Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy, followed by Pluto, went down to the basement, listening to Jiminy's side of the story, about what happened to his world before an unknown force took it.

Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Jiminy arrived in a room where magic is most likely performed. Using his magic, Donald summoned a portal for his four companions. "My magic won't be enough to bring us back for a long time, but we have no choice," Donald explained to his group. Afterwards, Donald led his group through the portal towards their intended destination.

* * *

In another world, a young man with silver hair walked away from a castle, with a woman, in a black dress, sealed inside.

"Well, looks like it's finally finished," Riku said to himself, "It looks like there's no reason for me to stay in this world, since I've already sealed Malificent. I don't care where I go, just as long as Malificent isn't around to follow me." With those words, Riku used the power of darkness to open himself a mysterious dark portal. "Well, it looks like I should meet with that woman, and see where I should go." Riku stepped into the portal towards where he is intended to meet this "woman."

* * *

Back at Destiny Island's, Kairi stared out towards the other island from her balcony, thinking happily about Sora, while holding a papou fruit in her hands. "I bet Sora is still working there," she said to herself, "When I see Sora again, I have to tell him. I have to tell him…that…I love him." Around that time, she began to hear the sound of bells. For some odd reason, she felt drawn to it. "What is that sound?" She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of those mysterious bells. "It sounds so beautiful…" She never noticed that the other island was glowing for unknown reasons. She just kept listening to the sound of those bells. "I think…they're coming from the caverns…" she said. She then felt strange, as if she were hypnotized by something. "It's…calling me," she said to herself. The Princess ended up in a trance-like state and her body began to glow and levitate from the balcony. Unconsciously, Kairi was reaching out towards the other island, like there was something there for her on the other side.

Suddenly, multiple images flashed through her head. She saw a door, the mysterious symbol, a different world, and finally, she saw Sora trying to reach for her. Then, all that was left on her balcony was the papou fruit she held in her hands…

* * *

On the other island of Destiny Island, Sora held a flashlight with a book on the other hand. He traveled through the mysterious cavern, looking for the location that his excavation team had recently discovered.

Sora finally found himself at the end of the cavern, where he saw an enormous door. His flashlight paid particular attention to a small symbol on the front. It looked like a silver cross. Sora looked at the book in his hand, seeing if there were any records of there being a symbol. "I wonder what kind of symbol this is…" he commented.

Sora then shined his flashlight at the door and he was surprised to find who was standing there in front of the door. "Kairi!" Sora called out. Kairi showed that she was in a trance-like state. She slowly turned her head towards Sora, as if she were tired or in bad shape. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Kairi weakly smiled at him, then she raise her hands to her sides and she began to levitate. Suddenly, the ground began to shake. "What's happening?" Sora asked, looking around the trembling caverns. He then saw the door open and Kairi was being drawn to the other side. Sora immediately dropped the book in his hand and ran in after her, fearing for whatever could cause harm to her.

* * *

Back at the Destiny Island Palace, Taikai and Zenrei felt the presence of the ground trembling. Taikai realized where the trembling was coming from and he turned to where the other island was. Taikai was just as surprised as Zenrei was when they both saw the cavern glowing in a brilliant light.

* * *

At the other island, the excavation team found themselves surrounded by what seemed like silver creatures, twirling around them like predators.

Inside, Sora continued running after Kairi, inside the unknown and unlocked passage. Inside an unknown chamber, he found Kairi high in the air, levitating in front of a symbol. This symbol seemed to resemble a heart, bathed in light. Before he could react, a group of light gathered around his hand and suddenly, a large key appeared on his hand. "What is this?" he asked.

_Keyblade…keyblade…_

"A…keyblade…" he asked. He then turned his attention to his friend. "Kairi!" He watched as large light came out of her body. This large light was shaped as a heart. "What's happening?" Sora ran towards Kairi and began to climb the wall to save his friend.

* * *

Unknown to the two young teenagers, they were being watched… "Her heart will be the one to guide us. The power to travel through different worlds…shall be mine," Xemnas said.

* * *

Kairi, in her trance-like state, watched Sora climbing up to her. "Kairi!" Sora yelled out. Suddenly, his keyblade reacted by itself. The keyblade forced itself pointing towards the Kairi's heart. Then, a gleaming stream of light emitted itself from Sora's keyblade, ascending towards the glowing heart. As it touched the heart, the heart began to glow another light until the heart divided itself into tons of pieces before it rose into the sky.

Then Kairi's body began to fall. Sora rushed to Kairi just in time before her body hit the ground. Cradling her in his arms, he checked to see if she was okay. "Kairi! Kairi!" Sora called out. Sora felt her skin, which was at an abnormal temperature. "She's getting colder," he realized. Sora needed to get his friend out. Around them, the caverns began to collapse. Sora carried Kairi's unconscious body in his arms and rushed out of the caverns.

* * *

"Your plan has failed, Xemnas," Larxene noted.

"On the contrary, it has just begun," Xemnas corrected her, while watching Sora carry Kairi out of the caverns, "When everything is complete, I'll be able to obtain the power to travel through different worlds."

* * *

Sora finally made it out of the cavern, with Kairi safely in his arms. Before he could breathe easy, a silver creature appeared out of nowhere and headed straight for the two teenagers. Sora turned to shield Kairi from harm. Before the silver creature could strike, a sword appeared out of nowhere and struck down the creature.

"What took you so long, kid?" Taikai asked coldly.

"Your Majesty!" Sora said in surprise.

"Is Kairi okay?" Taikai questioned.

"Well…" Sora couldn't find the words to satisfy Taikai. After seeing what happened inside the secret room, he didn't know how to describe it.

"I said is my sister okay!?" Taikai said coldly, while repelling the silver creatures. Assisting Taikai was also his best friend, Zenrei. "Zenrei, I need you to check on Kairi," he requested.

"I'll take care of it," Zenrei replied. Taikai rushed off to cover for the trio, while Zenrei used his magic to check on Kairi. Zenrei's hand glowed on Kairi's head. Apparently, he was reading what happened. "This is strange…" he commented. Zenrei then placed his hand on Sora's head, reading his mind. "I've read your memories," he told Sora, "Her heart was about to be sealed by darkness, but your so-called "keyblade" prevented that from happening. But in doing so, the Hearts of Light were scattered from her," he explained.

"Yeah…" Sora replied.

"It's as I feared," Zenrei began, "Those pieces of her heart are actually the Princess' spirit."

"Her spirit?" Sora questioned.

"All of her memories from her birth up until now have vanished," Zenrei explained, "Her spirit has been scattered throughout different worlds."

"What!?" Taikai said in distress.

"No, that's can't be…" Sora said in shock. Sora gripped onto Kairi tightly after hearing the truth.

"She's just an empty shell now without her spirit," said Zenrei, "At this rate, the Princess…"

"There has to be something I can do!" Sora said trying to plead for a possible solution.

Taikai and Zenrei stared at Sora. They realized how much he cares about Kairi. What Zenrei said was true. Sora is destined for Kairi. "Kid…" Taikai grabbed Sora's attention, "Take care of my sister, okay?" Taikai requested, placing his trust in Sora.

Sora was surprised about Taikai speaking to him. Normally, he would never show any respect for the young teenager, but now he's placing his trust in Kairi's life. "Yes, Sire!" said a determined Sora.

"Sora, come with me!" Zenrei ordered. Sora carried Kairi with him and followed Zenrei to a different part of the island, leaving Taikai to fend off the silver creatures.

"If you want to get past here, you'll have to go through me!" Taikai challenged the silver creatures.

* * *

Zenrei led Sora and the unconscious Kairi to another part of the island. "I'm going to send you to another world," Zenrei explained, "In that world, you must look for a person who lives in that world. She has the power to help you travel to different worlds." Zenrei used his magical staff to open a portal for Sora and Kairi.

"Who am I looking for?" Sora asked, "What do I have to do when I get there?"

"Look for a sorceress named Lulu," Zenrei answered, "Tell her everything that happened up until now. And please, do what you can to save the Princess!"

Sora was about to step through the portal. Before he did, he took a look at Kairi's unconscious body. Her life now rests in his hands. "Kairi, hold on…" Sora said his unconscious friend. Finally, Sora held Kairi tightly in his arms and rushed through the portal towards his unknown destination.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Traverse Town, Donald and Goofy walked around the central area, looking for whereabouts of Lulu. Goofy looked up into the sky and notice an abnormal sighting. "Look, the star's going out!" Goofy called out to Donald, pointing in the sky. They witnessed one star losing it's light, leaving plain blackness behind.

"Come on, let's hurry," said Donald, "We have to find that key."

"Ya know, maybe we should go look for this Lulu, feller," Goofy advised, "Uh, Donald, ya know what? I betcha…"

"Aw, what would you know you big palooka," Donald said, dismissing Goofy's comments.

"What do I know?" Goofy asked himself.

Away from the two characters, another portal opened from another world. Sora came out of the portal with Kairi still in his arms. He looked around the place, amazed by a world that was totally different from his.

"Where am I?" he asked himself, "Hold on, Kairi," Sora told his friend, "I'm going to help you!"

Sora ran off into the town of Traverse Town, desperately searching for a woman named Lulu.

The journey has begun…

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**A/N:** I know Riku is in a different world from Destiny Islands, but that part will come to play later on.

Also, the names "Taikai" and "Zenrei" are supposed to be OCs in this story. Because Kairi's name is Japanese for "ocean," I decided to name his brother "Taikai," which also means "ocean." "Zenrei" is Japanese for "spirit of goodness," which portrays his good nature towards Sora and Kairi.

Anyways, if this story sucks, I apologize. I'm bad at writing. Enjoy!


	2. Sacrifice

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - Past_

**Bold - Previous parts of chapters**

* * *

** "It's as I feared," Zenrei began, "Those pieces of her heart are actually the Princess' spirit."**

**"Her spirit?" Sora questioned.**

**"All of her memories from her birth up until now have vanished," Zenrei explained, "Her spirit has been scattered throughout different worlds."**

* * *

**"Look for a sorceress named Lulu," Zenrei answered, "Tell her everything that happened up until now. And please, do what you can to save the Princess!"

* * *

Donald,**

Sorry to rush off without sayin' goodbye, but there's trouble brewin'. Not sure why, but the stars have been blinkin' out, one by one. And that means disaster can't be far behind. I hate to leave you all, but I've gotta go check into it. There's someone with a "key"—the key to our survival. So I need you and Goofy to find him, and stick with him. Got it? We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Lulu. She'll point you in the right direction.

P.S.

Would ya apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks, pal.

* * *

"Well, looks like it's finally finished," Riku said to himself, "It looks like there's no reason for me to stay in this world, since I've already sealed Xehanort. I don't care where I go, just as long as Xehanort isn't around to follow me." With those words, Riku used the power of darkness to open himself a mysterious dark portal. "Well, it looks like I should meet with that woman, and see where I should go." Riku stepped into the portal towards where he is intended to meet this "woman."

* * *

Chapter 2: Sacrifice

* * *

Sora continued to walk around Traverse Town, carrying the unconscious Kairi in his arms. He couldn't help but think about what happened to Kairi back at their kingdom. How did this all happen? Why Kairi of all people? Sora didn't have all the answers. His only hope lies with a woman that Zenrei spoke of, Lulu. "This is weird…" Sora commented to himself, "This place is different from out kingdom." Sora then found a shop in the middle of the First District. Inside, he found a blond man, wearing goggles over his head, and sporting a toothpick in his mouth.

"Hey, there!" the blond man called out, "How can I help—" The man stopped his sentence when he saw Sora and the unconscious Princess. "Oh, just a couple of youngsters." He then noticed Kairi in his arms. "Hey, kid, is she okay?" he asked out of mild concern.

"Yeah, she's just unconscious," Sora answered, "Hey, sir, can you tell me where are we?"

"Are you serious, kid?" the blond man asked, finding it strange that he wouldn't know where they were.

"I'm…not from around here," reasoned Sora.

"Oh, I see," the blond man took Sora's word for it, "Well, you're in Traverse Town, kid. A lot of travelers come here from different worlds. Sometimes, it's just to live here or to find shelter," he explained, "Oh, by the way, the name's Cid."

"I'm Sora," Sora introduced, "This is Kairi," he said, indicating the girl in his arms.

"What happened to her, Sora?" Cid asked.

Sora explained everything. Starting from his and Kairi's relationship, his occupation, and the incident causing Kairi to lose the fragments of her heart. Cid found it hard to believe, but when he looked at the boy's eyes, he realized that he was telling the truth.

"I see," said Cid, "That's quite a store, kid. So you're looking for Lulu, eh?"

"Yeah, do you know where she is?" Sora asked, desperately waiting for his answer.

"Well, actually, I don't know, but I know someone else who does," Cid answered.

"Who?" the boy asked.

"Don't worry, I'll call him up right now." Cid went to his business phone and dialed a few numbers. He waited patiently as he began hearing the ring tone on his end of the line. After seconds later, he finally had his call. "Hey, Leon! ……Yeah, I have someone here who wants to meet Lulu. ………Yeah, he looks like he's in a hurry. ………Sure, you can pick him up. Later." Cid then hung up his phone. "A guy named Leon is coming by here to pick you two up," Cid explained to Sora, "Why don't you hang out here until he comes by? I have a couch in the back for Kairi," he offered to Sora.

"Thank you, Cid," Sora said, showing his gratitude to the gruff man. He followed Cid into the back of his shop, where he found a red sofa. It was comfortable enough to sit on, not to mention comfortable enough to sleep in. Sora gently placed Kairi's body on the couch, allowing her to rest. Meanwhile, Cid went back to the front of his shop to continue his business. As Sora awaited this Leon, Sora carefully watched Kairi for any sign of consciousness. He carefully moved Kairi's bangs away from her pretty face, and then, he gently took Kairi's hand in his hands, holding them, as if he were in prayer, praying for a miracle for Kairi to wake up. He remembered what it was like when he and Kairi were in this position.

* * *

_Kairi lied sick in bed. Apparently, she contracted a fever and was burning up. She had herself covered up in her blanket in the time of sunset at Destiny Islands. Next to her was her caretaker. What made her being sick in bed not so bad was the fact of who her caretaker is._

_"How are you feeling, Princess?" Sora asked._

_Kairi looked away, covering her mouth with her blanket. "Sora…I told you not to address me with my title," Kairi whined sickly._

_"Oh, forgive me…I mean, I'm sorry," Sora said, "But really, how are you feeling?"_

_"I'm okay. It's just a little fever," Kairi said, smiling weakly to the fact that Sora was showing he cares. "The doctor said I should be okay after I get some rest today," she continued. Sora smiled in relief that Kairi was going to get much better tomorrow. "But you know what?" Kairi began, "I think that…if you hold my hand, I'll be able to heal faster." This surprised Sora completely. He never thought Kairi would ask of this. He noticed Kairi slipping her hand out from under her blanket, offering her hand to him. "Can you hold my hand, Sora?" Kairi asked._

_Sora stared for a moment. Sora then smiled and willingly took Kairi's hand into both of his hands, holding them like he was in prayer. "You should get some rest, Kairi," Sora friendly advised._

_"Yeah," Kairi agreed. Kairi was feeling tired and sleep was about to overtake her. "Whenever I sleep like this, I want you to be the first person I see when I wake up, Sora," Kairi said sweetly._

_Sora smiled at Kairi's warm personality. He felt like it was a blessing that he met Kairi. Ever since then, he's treasured his friendship with Kairi. "I'll be here when you wake up, Kairi," Sora said before she drifted off to sleep._

* * *

"Kid! Sora!" Cid called out. Sora snapped back into reality when Cid was shaking him for his attention.

"Oh, sorry, Cid," Sora said.

"I was wondering what was wrong with ya. You looked like you were zoning out on something," said Cid, "Anyways, Leon's here."

Cid led Sora to the front of his shop, where Sora met a young man wearing a short black jacket with black pants and a scar between his eyes. "You must be Sora," said Leon.

"Yeah," Sora answered.

"My name is Leon," he introduced, "Cid told me that you wanted to meet Lulu, right?"

"Yeah, I need her help," Sora explained, "My friend Kairi is unconscious right now. I was told seek out Lulu for help. Please tell me where she is!" Sora begged, gripping onto Leon's arms pleadingly.

"Calm down, Sora," Leon advised, while taking Sora's hands off of him, "Lulu is around here in Traverse Town. I'll take you to meet her."

"All right. Thank you, Leon," Sora said calmly, "I want to take Kairi with me, too. I want to make sure she makes it out of this okay," Sora explained, while looking at Kairi's limp body.

"All right, do whatever you want," said Leon.

Sora went to the back and picked up Kairi. Gently carrying her in his arms, Sora went towards the door where Leon awaited him. "Good luck, Sora," Cid announced.

"Thanks, Cid," Sora replied.

* * *

Sora met Leon outside of the shop and they began walking around in Traverse Town. Sora held onto hope for Kairi awakening. He hoped that all this would be over after he meets Lulu.

While the two were walking, out of nowhere, dark creatures appeared from the ground and surrounded the duo.

"Heartless!? Now!?" Leon said, distressed and drawing his gunblade.

"Heartless?" asked the confused Sora. One of the dark creatures jumped up behind Sora, attempting to ambush the young teenager. Sora saw it at the last second and shielded Kairi's body with his own. Before the creature could attack Sora, light suddenly appeared around Sora's body. Sora looked at his own body, confused as to what happened, also causing Leon to look on in surprise. Suddenly, in Sora's free hand, a familiar object appeared. "…The Keyblade?" Sora asked, not knowing what's going on. Sora looked around and realized that he and Leon were surrounded by these "Heartless." Sora gently placed Kairi on the ground and held his Keyblade in a defensive position.

Sora stayed put to protect Kairi, not willing to leave her side at all times. Leon assisted Sora, repelling any faraway Heartless that would come to attack the duo. After bothersome battle, no more Heartless appeared to bother them. Leon placed his gunblade away and approached the tired Sora.

"That weapon of yours…where did you get it?" Leon asked.

"I don't know, myself," he answered, "This all happened when Kairi fell unconscious. I received this Keyblade out of nowhere when trouble happened back at our Island."

"So that's the Keyblade," Leon said, amazed, "It's no wonder the Heartless came after us."

"What are those…'Heartless?'" Sora asked.

"The Heartless are dark creatures that appear to steal people's hearts," he replied, "They are also the result of people who have lost their hearts to darkness. That Keyblade of yours is what they're afraid of. It has the power to defeat them and show light to darkness. Suffice it to say, they're not fond of light," explained Leon.

"Light…against darkness…" Sora said to himself, "I see now. It all makes sense," Sora realized.

"Come on, let's go," Leon advised, "I don't like keeping Lulu waiting."

Sora picked Kairi back up and followed Leon.

* * *

After walking around Traverse Town for quite a while, Sora and Leon arrived at the Third District of Traverse Town.

"Lulu's said she was going to meet you here," Leon directed, "I'm going to head back to Cid's place." He left Sora and headed back to the First District of Traverse Town, leaving Sora walk down an alleyway, which Leon pointed out for him.

Traveling down the alleyway, Sora saw a woman in a black dress appearing before him, followed by a young blond boy named Arthur (Sword in the Stone). Sora took a good look at the woman in black. She looked very scary.

Behind the party, three more characters appeared before them. "Hey, here's a place we haven't been to," Goofy commented to Donald.

"Yeah, is this the place we're supposed to be at?" Donald asked, looking around the place.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a dark portal opened up, alerting Sora. A young teenager emerged from the portal. It was a silver haired teenager, who wore a white vest and blue jeans. "I finally made it," Riku sighed.

Sora then turned towards the woman in black, and he was still captivated by her scary looks. However, he realized that there was no time to think about how she looked. He still has a job to do, and he wasn't going to leave it unfinished. "Please, help me save Kairi!" Sora called out to Lulu, "I beg of you! Please help me save her!"

Lulu turned her attention to Sora and paid particular attention to the sleeping Kairi in his arms. "So her name is Kairi, I see," Lulu said to Sora.

"Yes, it is," Sora replied.

"Who are you?" Lulu asked.

"My name is Sora," he answered.

Lulu approached the two young teenagers and placed her hand on Kairi's forehead. Lulu's hand began to glow as Lulu shut her eyes. "I see…" Lulu said, "This girl has lost something important to her. That something that she lost has been scattered throughout the worlds. If it stays like this for a long time…," Lulu paused, "She will die."

Sora gasped in shock. Hearing the fact that Kairi's death is on its way caused Sora's entire world to shake violently. He couldn't believe this was happening.

"Miss, who are you?" Donald asked Lulu.

"It's common courtesy if you introduce yourself first," Lulu replied.

"I'm Donald Duck," he introduced.

"I'm Goofy," Goofy introduced.

"What about you, young man?" Lulu asked to the other teenager.

"My name is Riku," he answered.

"Arthur, I need you to retrieve those two," she requested.

"Yes, ma'am." With Lulu's magic, Arthur vanished back to their world to retrieve whatever item Lulu needed.

"What do I have to do to save Kairi?" Sora asked desperately, "Please, tell me!"

"If you want to save her life," Lulu began, "you must travel to different worlds where pieces of her memories have been scattered and locked into a Keyhole, and retrieve them."

"The Keyhole?" Sora asked.

"Every world has a door, Sora. However, those Keyholes are what prevents the worlds from falling into darkness," she continued, "If those Keyholes are opened, then the worlds will become engulfed in eternal darkness. Her scattered memories are trapped in those Keyholes. In order for you to retrieve those memories, you must seal the Keyhole with your Keyblade."

"The scattered pieces of her memories?" Sora asked. Sora then realized what she was talking about. It happened when Sora's Keyblade reacted on its own and saved Kairi's heart from being sealed in the darkness. As a consequence, Kairi's heart divided into tons of pieces and shot out into the sky. "Then those fragments…" Sora said to himself.

"That's right, Sora," she said, "If you're able to gather all the fragments, you will save Kairi. Is that what you want?"

"Yes," Sora answered.

"What about you three?" Lulu asked the rest, "What is it that you want?"

"Me and Goofy are looking for our King," Donald answered.

"He said that there's something going on to the other worlds and he said to look for you for directions," Goofy added in.

"Me, I just don't want to go back to Castle Oblivion," Riku responded to Lulu.

"Overall, your wishes are one in the same," Lulu explained to everyone, "Riku, you're telling me that you don't want to return to Castle Oblivion and that you'd rather go to another world."

"That's right," Riku responded.

"Donald and Goofy, you want to look for the King and help him on whatever is ailing the worlds," Lulu said.

"Yeah!" Donald exclaimed.

"And you, Sora, you want to travel to different worlds so that you can retrieve Kairi's Heart Fragments," she said.

"Yeah," Sora answered.

"Your reasons may be different, but the method of traveling is the same," she said to everyone, "You want to head to other worlds. However, if you want to travel to different worlds, you must make a sacrifice."

"A sacrifice?" Goofy asked.

"In order for the worlds to maintain their balance, you have to sacrifice something that's of equal value to the balance, right?" Riku questioned.

"Indeed," she answered, "That is how it must be if you want to travel to different worlds. But it's beyond my powers to grant your request separately. However, you are all asking for the same wish. I can combine your sacrifices and grant you all this one wish."

"All of us?" Donald asked.

"For example," Lulu began, "Donald, because you are traveling in a party, I will select one of you. Donald, you must sacrifice your magic staff."

"What!?" Donald said in an outrage, "You have got to be kidding! Daisy bought this wand for me! It's my favorite wand!" Donald yelled.

"If that's your decision, but that also means you can't see your King," Lulu reminded. Donald was in a double jeopardy. If he sacrificed his wand, he'd see the King, but he'd also lose something his girlfriend used most of her money to buy. If he didn't sacrifice it, he'd still keep it, but then he wouldn't be able to meet the King again. "So what's it going to be, Donald? Yes or no?" Lulu teased.

Donald was clearly mad at Lulu's price and angrily handed over his wand, "Aw, phooey!" Donald grumbled. Lulu used her magic to take Donald's wand away and have it vanish.

"Riku, for you, you must sacrifice that heart chain around your neck," she instructed.

Riku was surprised by Lulu's request. Only Riku knew how much the chain meant to him. "Couldn't I at least hand over my weapon?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not," she replied, "It must be one that you treasure with your life."

"I see," he sighed, "I guess there's nothing I can do." Riku removed the chain around his neck and handed it over to Lulu, who once again used her magic to make the chain vanish.

"Sora, as for you," she paused, "You must sacrifice your relationship."

"My relationship?" he asked.

"The one thing that you cherish with your life is your relationship with Kairi," explained Lulu, "That will be your sacrifice."

"I don't understand," said Sora.

"Even if you get all of her memories back, all of her memories with you will never come back," Lulu warned, "If you make this sacrifice, your relationship with her will never be the same again. That is your sacrifice," she warned again. Sora expressed signs of being upset with his sacrifice. He felt that his was the worst of everyone's sacrifice. "Tell me, Sora, what is she to you?" Lulu asked out of curiosity.

"Kairi is…" Sora thought long and hard about his times with Kairi. Kairi was everything to Sora. He'd give his life for her any time, any day.

* * *

_Little Kairi led Little Sora into her palace garden by his hand. "Come on, Sora!" said Little Kairi, pulling Little Sora with her excitedly, "This way, this way!"_

_"Won't anyone get mad if they find me here in the palace?" Little Sora asked out of concern, looking around the place for guards._

_"Don't worry about it," Little Kairi assured, "What do you want to play?" she asked happily._

_"Well…" Little Sora knew he was going to have a good time with his childhood friend._

* * *

"Kairi and I grew up together," Sora answered to Lulu, "We've been best friends since childhood."

* * *

_In the kingdom of Destiny Islands, a large audience gathered around the palace, cheering their new crowned king, Taikai. Taikai waved at the audience, earning himself praises by the citizens. Next to Taikai, Little Kairi leaned against the rail, seemingly bored of the whole ceremony. However, her boredom quickly dissolved when she saw someone amongst the crowd. She saw Little Sora smiling at her, accompanied by his father._

_"Sora!" she called out happily, waving at him._

* * *

"She's a Princess from our kingdom," he continued, "But more than that…"

* * *

_"Sora, about what I was going to say, I'll tell you when I see you again, okay?" said Kairi._

* * *

"More than that…" Sora held Kairi's limp body close to him, hugging her tightly, and overcome with the fear of losing his one true friend. "Kairi is the most important person in my life," Sora said hugging her tightly.

Lulu saw it all. Sora's emotions showed that he truly cared deeply for Kairi.

"But…I'm still going," announced the determined Sora, "I will never let Kairi die!"

"You realize that traveling to other words is a difficult path," she warned, "There are many different worlds. For example, you can tell these three are from another world by the looks of their clothes," she explained, referring to Donald, Goofy, and Riku, "There may be worlds where it is inhabited by criminals, worlds of deception, even worlds enduring wars. You will be forced to endure all of those and continue your journey, even while you're searching for the Keyholes that imprison her memories, even if you don't know where they are. It is a long journey, one where you will never know if it ends. Yet, you're still willing to go on this journey, am I right?" Lulu asked.

"Yes," Sora said determinedly.

"You have sincerity and determination, Sora," commented Lulu, "You have shown that you have what it takes to get things done."

Arthur appeared behind Lulu, holding what seemed to be moogles in his arms, one black and one white. "I have them, Miss Lulu," Arthur announced. The white moogle jumped out of Arthur's arms and jumped into Lulu's hand.

"This little one is MogMoogle," she said, presenting Mog, "Mog will help you travel to the other worlds." Mog squeaked and waved at the party.

"Hey, what about the other one?" Donald asked, "Can't we have that one too?"

"The other one is used for communication purposes only," replied Lulu. The black moogle squeaked and waved at the party. "Mog will take you to the other worlds, but it won't control where you shall go," she explained to the party, "Depending on how your wishes will be granted will be based upon your own luck. But you should also know, there is no such thing as coincidence, but only fate. You were all destined to meet here together."

The "new" party found it strange that Lulu would mention that. Yet, they couldn't help but possibly agree to what she meant.

"Mog is not yet ready for travel," she said, presenting Mog to the party, "His magic has not fully recharged, yet. You all must wait for a while until he is ready."

"I understand," Sora nodded. Mog then hopped towards Sora, landing on his head.

"I bid you good luck on your journey," Lulu announced to the "new" party before departing back to her own world with Arthur.

* * *

The "new" party walked back to the Third District. Sora still held the unconscious Kairi in his arms.

"You haven't been letting that girl go ever since," commented Riku.

"Mog wants to be held, too, kupo!" Mog said happily on top of Riku's head.

"By the way, what was your name again?" Riku asked.

"My name is Sora," he answered.

"My name is Riku," Riku introduced, "What's your guys' names?" he asked to Donald and Goofy.

"Donald Duck," Donald replied.

"I'm Goofy," replied Goofy.

While the group was getting themselves reacquainted, Sora checked on Kairi's body temperature. "She's getting colder," he thought to himself, "If this goes on, she won't last long until we find the pieces of her memories."

"By the way, Sora, you're looking for that there Heart Fragment for this Kairi girl, right?" Goofy asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah, I am," said Sora. "I don't even know where to look first, though. Mog, how much longer will it take for you to regain your magic?" he asked.

"It's taking too long for Mog, kupo! I still need a lot more time before my magic is ready, kupo!" he explained.

"I see," Sora sighed.

"Wait, is this it?" Donald came up behind Sora and dug into his open hood. Inside Sora's hood, he found what appears to be a shiny object, emitting pure light.

"Wait! That's—!" Sora was speechless on what kind of object he was witnessing.

"I thought I saw something inside your hood," Riku said, "Is that the fragment of her memory?"

"It must've got caught on my clothes by accident," Sora commented.

"Uh-uh," Donald disagreed, "Remember what Lulu said? 'There's no such thing as a coincidence.'"

"Donald's right," Goofy agreed, "That fragment was probably meant to stick to ya so that you could save your friend."

Sora received the fragment from Donald. "Either way, my luck is changing," he said, a little excited that he found Kairi's first fragment. Sora gently set Kairi down and cradled her body. Taking the shining Heart Fragment, Sora brought it close to Kairi, causing the fragment to levitate towards the Princess and inserting itself inside her body. Receiving the fragment caused Kairi to moan quietly, making Sora sigh in relief. "Thank goodness," he sighed in relief, "She's starting to warm up now."

"At least we can relax for a bit," Riku commented, "We should take her to rest somewhere, Sora. It looks like she needs it," he advised.

"Yeah, you're right," Sora nodded in agreement, "Let's find a hotel for her." Sora gently picked up Kairi in his arms and walked with his newfound friends to look for a hotel.

One Heart Fragment has been retrieved, but there are still more Fragments that need to be found. There's no telling when it will end. Only time will tell…

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	3. Who are you?

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - Past_

**Bold - Previous parts of chapter**

* * *

**"If you want to save her life," Lulu began, "you must travel to different worlds where pieces of her memories have been scattered and locked into a Keyhole, and retrieve them."**

**"The Keyhole?" Sora asked.**

**"Every world has a door, Sora. However, those Keyholes are what prevents the worlds from falling into darkness," she continued, "If those Keyholes are opened, then the worlds will become engulfed in eternal darkness. Her scattered memories are trapped in those Keyholes. In order for you to retrieve those memories, you must seal the Keyhole with your Keyblade."**

**"The scattered pieces of her memories?" Sora asked. Sora then realized what she was talking about. It happened when Sora's Keyblade reacted on its own and saved Kairi's heart from being sealed in the darkness. As a consequence, Kairi's heart divided into tons of pieces and shot out into the sky. "Then those fragments…" Sora said to himself.**

* * *

**"Me and Goofy are looking for our King," Donald answered.**

**"He said that there's something going on to the other worlds and he said to look for you for directions," Goofy added in.**

**"Me, I just don't want to go back to Castle Oblivion," Riku responded to Lulu.**

* * *

**Lulu began, "Donald, because you are traveling in a party, I will select one of you. Donald, you must sacrifice your magic staff."**

**Donald was clearly mad at Lulu's price and angrily handed over his wand, "Aw, phooey!" Donald grumbled. Lulu used her magic to take Donald's wand away and have it vanish.**

* * *

**"Riku, for you, you must sacrifice that heart chain around your neck," she instructed.**

**"I see," he sighed, "I guess there's nothing I can do." Riku removed the chain around his neck and handed it over to Lulu, who once again used her magic to make the chain vanish.**

* * *

**"Sora, as for you," she paused, "You must sacrifice your relationship."**

**"My relationship?" he asked.**

**"The one thing that you cherish with your life is your relationship with Kairi," explained Lulu, "That will be your sacrifice."**

* * *

**"But…I'm still going," announced the determined Sora, "I will never let Kairi die!"**

**

* * *

**

**_Chapter 3: Who are you?_**

* * *

Sora continued to carry the sleeping Kairi, walking around Traverse Town with his new friends, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. Kairi recently got one of her fragments back. And as a result, her body is now starting to regain its normal temperature. The worst is over for now, but she would still need more fragments if she were going to get any better. 

The party had difficult time looking for a place for Kairi to rest. "Almost all the hotel rooms are full," Riku noted, "Isn't there a place where we can rest?"

Sora stopped in his tracks, thinking about what to do. Then, it finally hit him. He knew where to turn to. "Hey, guys, why not ask Cid?"

"Cid?" Goofy asked

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he can help us," Sora informed the party.

"Let's go, let's go, kupo!" Mog said excitedly.

Before the party could proceed to Cid's place, the beings, known as Heartless, appeared before the party. Donald, Goofy, and Riku drew their weapons while Sora gently laid Kairi on the ground.

"Mog, Pluto, look after Kairi!" Sora requested.

"Okay, kupo!" Mog answered. Pluto barked in response to Sora's request and immediately went on the defense for any incoming Heartless.

When Sora drew his Keyblade, Donald and Goofy looked at Sora's weapon with wide eyes. However, their questions would have to come later, they had more important things to worry about. Riku demonstrated great agility and swordplay as he fought his share of the Heartless. Donald, with Goofy's defense, used his magic skills to take out a large group of Heartless. Finally, Sora, with the power of the Keyblade, finished off the rest of the Heartless. After getting rid of the Heartless, Sora rushed back to his sleeping friend to check on any injuries. Sora sighed in relief when he saw that she didn't get hurt.

"Hey, Sora, where did you get that Keyblade?" Donald asked.

"I don't really know," Sora said, "When Kairi the darkness was about to take Kairi's heart, this Keyblade suddenly appeared in my hand, back in my world. Why do you ask?"

"Because our King told us in a letter that we had to travel with someone with the 'key,'" Goofy answered, "He must have meant this Keyblade of yours."

"I guess Lulu wasn't kidding about us meeting together," Riku informed the party, "You guys were meant to meet each other."

"It's weird when you put it that way, but Lulu may be right, too," Sora noted, "Anyways, we should head to Cid's place."

Sora led the party around Traverse Town. The party didn't know anything about Traverse Town since they only arrived to find Lulu.

* * *

Sora and his party arrived at Cid's shop for his help, where they found Leon and his other friends. "Welcome to Cid's—" Cid stopped when he saw Sora and his party. "Oh, hey, Sora! Who are you friends?" 

"They also came here to meet up with Lulu," Sora informed, "This is Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto," he introduced, "Hey, Leon, who are your friends?"

"Like me, they also came here when their worlds were taken," Leon replied, "This is Yuffie."

"Hiya, everyone!" said the cheery Yuffie.

"And this is Aerith," continued Leon.

"Nice to meet you, everyone," Aerith said.

"Nice to meet ya guys," Goofy said with courtesy.

"Yeah," Cid simply replied, "What can I help you guys with?"

"We're trying to find a place for Kairi to rest," Donald explained, "All the hotels are full and we're out of luck. If it's not too much, Cid…"

"Say no more, fellas, you can let Kairi rest here. We'll take care of her," Cid offered.

"Is she okay?" Aerith asked with concern, "What happened?"

"It's a long story," Sora answered.

* * *

Sora gently laid Kairi on Cid's sofa and then draped a blanket over her, handed to him by Aerith. Yuffie watched how much Sora cared about Kairi. 

"Will she be okay?" asked Yuffie.

"We just retrieved one of her Heart Fragments, so she'll be okay for now," Sora replied, "But we still need more of her Heart Fragments."

"Heart Fragments?" asked Aerith.

"I never heard of those. What are they?" Leon asked coming into the back.

Sora explained everything to Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Mog. He started from the very beginning on when it all happened, from when Kairi lost her Heart Fragments up until now.

"I see…" Leon understood everything.

"So that's why she is still sleeping," Aerith noted.

"So in order for you to wake Kairi up, you need to retrieve the Fragments that are locked in the Keyholes of every world, right?" Yuffie asked.

"Yeah, that's what Lulu said," Sora replied, "We have to travel to different worlds, but Mog isn't ready for travel since his magic hasn't been revived yet. How much longer, Mog?"

"Still too long, kupo! Sorry," Mog said ashamed.

"That's okay, Mog. Just let us know when you're ready, okay?" Sora asked with an encouraging voice.

"I'll go make everyone some tea," Aerith informed to everyone before leaving.

Sora went back to watching Kairi intently for any changes or signs of consciousness.

"It looks like she's getting her color back," Riku said, patting Sora on the shoulder.

"Thanks to the Fragment that Donald found," Sora added in.

"Sora, those Fragments aren't easy to find," Leon advised, "They're bound to be anywhere and not just inside the Keyholes, but there could be a chance that even someone else could have one. How do you plan on finding the others?"

"I'm not really sure." Sora realized that Leon was right. How can they find Kairi's Heart Fragment if they don't know where it is?

"Leave that to me, kupo!" Mog announced jumping into Sora's lap. Sora didn't know how Mog was going to help. "Mog memorized the Fragment's energy waves, kupo! Whenever Mog feel the presence of a Fragment…" Mog demonstrated by making a loud squeak and enlarging his eyes. The eyes startled Sora. He never expected something so cute to make such a scary look. "Mog does this whenever there's a Fragment nearby. Mog did this back then, too, kupo!" Mog exclaimed, giving Sora a surprised look.

"Was it when you detected the Fragment on Sora's hood?" Riku asked Mog.

"Nope, it was a different time, kupo!" Mog informed, "It happened when you and your friends were fighting those Heartless, kupo!"

"Really!?" said the surprised Sora. Mog recalled what happened. While they were fighting the Heartless, Mog made the same wide-eyed reaction, startling Pluto as well. "Does that mean…?" Sora realized where the next possible fragment is.

"One of the Heartless must have it," said Donald.

"Hey, Mog, if you sense a Fragment nearby, please let us know, okay?" requested Sora.

"Leave it to me, kupo!" Mog said happily.

"By the way, Sora, I was wondering," Goofy said coming up to Sora.

"What is it, Goofy?" asked Sora.

"This friend of yours, Kairi, what's she like?" Sora was surprised at Goofy's curiosity.

"Yeah, we know how much you care about Kairi, Sora," Donald informed, "So tell us, what makes her your special someone?"

"Well……Kairi is my childhood friend," he started to explain to his friends, "We grew up together in our kingdom. We always played together, talk about our problems. Every time I come home from my trip with my father, Kairi would be the first person to see me. She's the nicest person I've ever met. We became so close, that she told me that I should address her as simply 'Kairi.' She whines to me whenever I call her 'Princess,'" Sora laughed a little.

"That's so sweet," Yuffie said grinning.

"She told me that childhood friends are much closer if they call them by their names, rather than their titles," Sora explained Yuffie.

"You have a special friend, Sora," Riku commented, "It's no wonder why you're so fixated on saving her."

"That's why she's an important person in my life," Sora said, holding Kairi's hand, "And that's why, no matter where I go, I'll retrieve her Fragments."

"You got guts, Sora, I'll give you that," Leon commented, making Sora smile.

Suddenly, Mog made a loud squeak and opened his eyes wide, startling Sora and the others.

"What is it, Mog?" asked the concern Goofy.

"Mog feels the Fragments presence, kupo!" the cute creature informed.

"Is it the Heartless?" asked Riku.

"Mog thinks so, kupo!" Mog replied.

"Already!?" said the distressed Leon. Leon drew his gunblade and ran out of Cid's shop, past Cid and Aerith.

Sora drew his Keyblade out, prepared for big battle for Kairi's Heart Fragment. "Yuffie, I hate to ask, but can you look after Kairi for a while?" Sora requested.

"Don't you worry, Sora," Yuffie said with enthusiasm, "I'll look after her as if she were my own baby sister!"

"Thank you, Yuffie," Sora said smiling. Sora turned around to leave.

"Are you thinking of going by yourself?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, the Heartless have one of Kairi's Heart Fragments. I have to get it back," said the determined Sora.

"Not alone, you won't!" Donald said putting his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, there's no telling what kind of Heartless there is. We'll back you up, Sora," Riku joined in.

Sora looked at his friends and saw that they wanted to help Sora out. Sora nodded at their request and the party finally ran out of Cid's shop, leaving everything in Yuffie's, Cid's, and Aerith's hands.

* * *

Sora and his party found Leon doing his best to fight off the Heartless. The party dispersed to fight off their own share of the Heartless. They put up a good fight against the dark creatures. However, this wasn't the end. Above the party, a large dark portal opened up to make way for a gigantic knight-like Heartless. At the presence of this knight-like Heartless, Mog made a loud squeak sound and opened his eyes wide again. "Sora, the Fragment is inside that Heartless, kupo!" Mog informed. 

Sora got his Keyblade in hand ready. "I will retrieve the Fragment, no matter what," Sora thought to himself with determination in mind. He was determined to get the Fragment back, and he wasn't going to leave without it. "Mog, get back inside Cid's shop!" Sora commanded.

"Roger, kupo!" Mog hopped back into Cid's shop for safety, leaving the party to fight off this powerful Heartless.

During their fight against the gigantic Heartless, they were surprised that this Heartless can also detach itself, making every part of his body fight off the party. Arms would serve to claw at them, the feet would try to stomp on them, and the body would use a charged beam against the entire party. However, despite it's tricky fighting tactics and its raw power, the party managed to defeat this monstrosity. The Heartless shook violently until the armor exploded, leaving behind a shiny object, which floated in the air.

"Is that it?" Sora wondered. The shiny object slowly descended towards Sora, who held out his hand to catch the object.

"No doubt about it. That's definitely Kairi's Fragment," Riku noted.

"Sora, hurry and give it to Kairi!" Donald commanded.

"Right!" Sora replied. Sora turned around the quickly ran back into Cid's shop.

"So that's the Fragment, huh?" Leon asked the party.

"Yeah, that's the very thing that Sora is looking for all around the worlds," Riku responded.

"But why would the Heartless have it?" asked Donald.

"Hmm, maybe there's something about the Fragment that interests the Heartless?" pondered Goofy.

After the finished battle, clouds began to overtake the clear nighttime skies, giving way to rain.

"Uh oh, it's raining," Donald said, "We'd better get inside before we catch a cold."

* * *

Sora ran back into the back of Cid's shop with the Heart Fragment in his hand. Yuffie saw that he needed to be alone with his friend, and so, she left the room. Sora brought the fragment towards Kairi, which caused the fragment to levitate towards Kairi, merging itself inside the sleeping princess. Sora then held Kairi's hands in a prayer position, hoping that Kairi will make it. 

"Please…wake up, Kairi," Sora hoped silently. Sora's hands tightened around Kairi's gentle hands, continuing to hope for Kairi to wake up.

* * *

_Sora took Kairi's hand into both of his hands, holding them like he was in prayer. "You should get some rest, Kairi," Sora friendly advised._

_"Yeah," Kairi agreed. Kairi was feeling tired and sleep was about to overtake her. "Whenever I sleep like this, I want you to be the first person I see when I wake up, Sora," Kairi said sweetly._

* * *

Sora continued to wait intently for his friend to wake up. After what seemed to be minutes, Sora saw movement in her closed eyelids. They were twitching, and finally, he watched as Kairi opened her eyes slowly. Kairi then drew her tired eyes to Sora, who was glad to see Kairi finally awake. 

"Kairi!" Sora said with happiness. He couldn't believe it. Everything was going to be okay now that Kairi is awake. However…

"Who…are you?" asked the confused and tired Kairi. The question shocked Sora to the core. He couldn't believe that Kairi doesn't remember him. However, that's when he realized it.

Sora sadly, but gently laid Kairi's hand down on the Sofa and hung his head down. Leon and the others watched the scene and felt sorry for what happened to Sora. For Sora, he realized that Lulu was right. Kairi won't remember him. She will never remember the past relationship she had with him. Sora then saw Kairi trying to get up and he helped her up, despite Kairi still being confused. "Are you okay, Princess?" asked Sora.

"I…I think so…" Kairi replied, "Who are you?"

"…My name is Sora," he replied politely, "And you are Princess Kairi." Sora noticed that Kairi was still confused on what Sora was telling her. "This might come as a shock to you, Princess, but you need to hear this. You are a princess from another world."

"From…another world?" Kairi asked.

"Right now, you've lost your all of your memories, and we're traveling to different worlds to try to retrieve them for you," Sora continued to explain.

"Just…the two of us?" she asked.

"No, we're traveling with some friends of mine," he answered.

"Are you one of them?" Kairi asked.

"Yes," Sora responded politely.

"Even though I don't know you?" she continued.

"……Yes," Sora answered.

"It's nice to meet you, Princess Kairi," Riku announced bringing Mog, Donald, Goofy and Pluto into the room, "My name is Riku," he introduced. Riku placed a comforting hand on Sora's shoulder. "These two are…"

"Donald Duck!" Donald introduced.

"And Goofy!" Goofy introduced.

"And this big guy is Pluto," Riku introduced. Pluto responded by licking Kairi's face lightly, making the princess giggle, who, in return, petted dog. "And this little guy is…"

"Mog Moogle, but you can say Mog, kupo!" Mog introduced happily, "Shake hands, shake hands! Because we're now friends, kupo!" Kairi laughed lightly and smiled at Mog and then took his little hand and shook hands with him gently.

While the party was getting themselves acquainted with the awakened Princess, Sora stepped out of the room, past Leon and the gang with his head hung down. Leon couldn't get a good look at his face. He couldn't tell what kind of emotions he was showing.

* * *

Sora stood out in the middle of the Central Plaza of Traverse Town and continued to hang his head down, under the rain, all alone. Leon and his friends looked out the window and watched him stand in the rain. With the rain, they couldn't tell if Sora was crying. He had to be crying. The fact that Kairi doesn't remember him hurt him so much. It was like someone shot him in the heart and that heart will have no chance to heal again. 

"I thought that the kid was going to cry when that happened," Cid confessed.

"He's probably crying right now," Aerith commented, "I don't blame him. I would be crying, too, if I were in his position."

"I don't know if he's crying or not, but if he doesn't want to cry anymore, then he's just going to have to tough it up. That way, he won't have to cry no matter what obstacles lie ahead," Leon said, as he continued to watch Sora grieving alone.

* * *

Kairi looked at her hand and touched it. "Someone must've been holding my hand while I was sleeping," Kairi said to herself. She brought her head to her cheek and smiled to herself at the feeling. "It feels…so warm…"

* * *

"You know what? I think it's necessary to cry," Yuffie commented, "It takes a strong heart to cry when you have to." 

Aerith and Cid agreed with Yuffie on her opinion. Perhaps Sora was demonstrating that outside, but they can never tell with the sorrowful weather.

* * *

Elsewhere, Xemnas and Larxene watched, from a dark portal, Sora grieving in Traverse Town. 

"It seems they've retrieve one of her memories," Larxene noted.

"Indeed," Xemnas agreed, "Yet, there's no telling if they will be lucky in the journey that lies ahead." Xemnas then turned his attention to a young teenager wearing a black trench coat, entrapped in a liquid tube. "We will eventually gain the power to travel the worlds…even if more hearts must be sacrificed."

* * *

The next morning, Kairi woke up in Cid's sofa. As she rubbed her eyes, she began to smell something good. Getting up on her feet—albeit for the first time in a while—she went to the front of Cid's shop and was surprised to see everyone waiting for her with breakfast ready. 

"Good morning, Princess," Sora greeted.

"Good morning, Sora," Kairi greeted back smiling.

"Are you still tired, Princess?" Goofy asked.

"Just a little bit, but I'm okay," Kairi replied.

"Then you've come at the right time," Aerith said, "We were just about to have breakfast. You must be hungry."

"Yes, thank you all very much," Kairi said bowing towards them and then taking her seat.

"Hope you like your eggs scrambled, Princess. 'Cause you got more coming by!" Cid announced while cooking.

Kairi smiled to everyone for his or her generosity. After Cid finished cooking breakfast for everyone, everyone began to eat peacefully, while talking about their lives, their hobbies, etc. However, Sora continued to look down on his food. He had barely even touched it and whenever the others would look at him, he would immediately hide the fact that he was sad starting eating.

* * *

After their hearty breakfast, Sora and his party, Kairi included, stepped outside of Cid's shop, with Mog in Princess's arms. 

"How's your magic now, Mog?" asked Goofy.

"Mog's magic is ready, kupo! We're ready for the next world, kupo!" Mog happily announced in Kairi's arms.

"Well, looks like this is it," Riku said to Leon and his friends.

"You guys take care, okay?" Leon advised.

"How are you feeling, Princess?" asked Yuffie.

"I'm still a little tired, but I'm okay, thank you," Kairi said smiling at Yuffie.

Sora, on the other hand, still continued to look down. Everything seemed to have fallen apart for him. Kairi will no longer remember him. Despite the fact that he willingly sacrificed his relationship to Kairi in order to save her life, he never thought that having Kairi not remember him would be so painful, and heartbreaking.

"Don't look down, Sora!" Donald commanded strictly.

"Huh?" Sora snapped out of his sad state, looking at Donald's stern look.

"You can't come with us on our journey looking like that," said Donald, "No frowning." Donald gestured a frown. "And no sad faces." Donald gestured a sad face.

"Yeah, you gotta be funny, like us!" Goofy chuckled when he approached Donald's face. Donald then shoved the tall dog's face out of his way.

"This journey is for happy faces only!" Donald encouraged.

Sora looked at Donald for a while, but then he smiled at his friend. Donald was right. He has to keep smiling and pick himself up. He still has a job to do, and he vowed he was going to save Kairi's life. Even though the sacrifice was great, all Sora cared about right now was saving his most important friend. "Yeah, you're right, Donald!" Sora said, regaining his courage, "Mog, are we ready?" Sora asked.

"Mog is ready for takeoff, kupo!" Mog cheered. Mog jumped into the air and began to glow in a brilliant light. "Mog Moogle is good to go! Kupo!!" Mog howled. Mog then grew gigantic wings of light behind his back, which emitted a magic light that formed around the party.

"Thank you for everything, you guys!" Sora yelled out before him and his party were engulfed with the light. The party then disappeared in the light, vanishing before Leon and his friends.

"Take care, everyone! And Sora, I hope you find Kairi's Fragments!" Aerith cheered.

* * *

Sora and his party found themselves floating in a dimensional space, flying towards their unknown destination with Mog guiding them. 

"No matter what happens, I'm going to get Kairi's Fragments back," Sora thought to himself with determination.

Behind Sora, he felt someone grasp his hand firmly. He looked behind him and saw Kairi's worried look.

"I'm scared, Sora," she said worriedly.

"Don't worry, Princess. I'll be right here," Sora assured, smiling at the Princess, and his eternal friend.

Kairi smiled back at Sora, showing that she can trust him completely. When Kairi woke up that night, the first person that was very nice to her was Sora.

The journey continues for Sora and his friends. And from here on out, they'll see it to the end…together.

* * *

**To be continued…**


	4. The First World

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - Past_

**Bold - Previous parts of chapter**

* * *

**Everything seemed to have fallen apart for him. Kairi will no longer remember him. Despite the fact that he willingly sacrificed his relationship to Kairi in order to save her life, he never thought that having Kairi not remember him would be so painful, and heartbreaking.**

**"Don't look down, Sora!" Donald commanded strictly.**

**"Huh?" Sora snapped out of his sad state, looking at Donald's stern look.**

**"You can't come with us on our journey looking like that," said Donald, "No frowning." Donald gestured a frown. "And no sad faces." Donald gestured a sad face.**

**"Yeah, you gotta be funny, like us!" Goofy chuckled when he approached Donald's face. Donald then shoved the tall dog's face out of his way.**

**"This journey is for happy faces only!" Donald encouraged.**

**Sora looked at Donald for a while, but then he smiled at his friend. Donald was right. He has to keep smiling and pick himself up. He still has a job to do, and he vowed he was going to save Kairi's life. Even though the sacrifice was great, all Sora cared about right now was saving his most important friend. "Yeah, you're right, Donald!" Sora said, regaining his courage.**

* * *

**"No matter what happens, I'm going to get Kairi's Fragments back," Sora thought to himself with determination.**

**Behind Sora, he felt someone grasp his hand firmly. He looked behind him and saw Kairi's worried look.**

**"I'm scared, Sora," she said worriedly.**

**"Don't worry, Princess. I'll be right here," Sora assured, smiling at the Princess, and his eternal friend.**

**Kairi smiled back at Sora, showing that she can trust him completely. When Kairi woke up that night, the first person that was very nice to her was Sora.**

**The journey continues for Sora and his friends. And from here on out, they'll see it to the end…together.**

* * *

**_Chapter 3: The First World_**

* * *

In a flash of light, Sora and his group of friends, along with Princess Kairi arrived at a new world. They arrived in a bamboo forest. "We're here, kupo!" Mog happily announced. Mog never noticed that he was standing on top of Donald and Goofy, who seemed to have fallen down as they landed in this mysterious world.

"Hey, Mog, how about getting off?" Donald muttered impatiently.

"Hey, Donald, do you think that maybe the King could be here?" asked Goofy.

"I don't know, but we should start looking around," Donald replied.

Riku stood up from the ground, looking around the new world. "Well, it doesn't look like this is the world I came from, not that I'm complaining," Riku said to the group.

"Are you okay, Princess Kairi?" Sora asked, helping up the Princess from the ground.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you," Kairi replied.

"Where exactly are we?" Sora asked the group.

Before they could survey the scene, they were immediately surrounded by Heartless and a small group of ominous men. Their skin looked pale and their yellow eyes immediately showed hostility. "You there! Where did you come from?" the pale warrior leader demanded. He immediately took interested in the frightened Princess. "You'll make fine company for Master Shan-Yu. Come with me!" the pale man demanded grabbing onto Kairi's wrist.

Because of the man's roughness, Kairi winced in pain as the man's grip tightened. Unfortunately, for the pale man, Sora immediately reacted to Kairi in pain and drew his Keyblade. With one swift move, Sora swiped his Keyblade to the side, slamming the weapon across his face, making him release his hostile grip from Kairi's wrist. The pale man fell to the ground, unable to get up from the strike. Unfortunately, Sora's attack caused the other pale warriors to draw their weapons. "How dare you, boy! No one attacks the Huns and lives to tell about it!" the other pale warrior said, walking towards Sora's party.

Sora stood in front of Kairi, showing that he was willing to protect the Princess, even at the cost of his life. Riku, Donald, and Goofy stood in front of the two, with their weapons drawn. Donald supported the group using his magic, while Goofy used his shield to support Sora and Kairi in their defense. Riku did most of the attacking against the Huns and the Heartless. Sora did a perfect job at protecting Kairi. No Hun touched her, despite being how ferocious the Huns fought.

The Huns lied on the ground, defeated and unable to continue fighting. "How humiliating! Retreat!" one of the Huns ordered, leaving them running away.

"Are you hurt, Princess?" Sora asked out of concern.

"I'm okay, Sora. Thank you," she replied, smiling at him, "How about you, Sora? Are you hurt?"

"Yes, I'm okay," Sora answered politely.

"Who are these 'Huns' anyways?" Goofy asked out of curiosity.

"It's kind of ironic," Riku commented, "We arrived in a new world, and we're already greeted with hostility."

"But Sora was so cool, kupo!" Mog cheered to the group.

"Something's kind of screwy around here," Donald added.

Suddenly, they heard Pluto barking at the bamboo forest. The group got their weapons ready for another battle, with Sora guarding Kairi once again. However, party lowered their weapons when they saw what appears to be a young teenage boy, wearing some foreign armor, having his hair tied into a bun behind his head, and with a black horse behind him.

"Th-that was amazing, you guys," the boy said, coming out of the bamboo forest.

"Who are you?" Kairi asked the boy.

"Me? Um, you guys aren't from the Imperial Army, are you?" the boy asked. The party shook their heads in response to the boy's question. "Then I guess it's safe to say," the boy said. He reached behind his head and began to untie his hair bun. What surprised the party was the fact that this wasn't a boy, it was a girl! "My name is Mulan," Mulan introduced.

"Why were you dressed as a boy?" Kairi asked Mulan.

Mulan took a deep breath. From the way her facial expression showed, it was going to be a long story. "I come from the Fa Family," Mulan began, "I was once sent to a matchmaker in order for me to find a husband. That didn't go so well. I felt that I dishonored my father. While my father, Fa Zhu, was trying to comfort me, the Imperial Army entered my village. According the to Imperial Army, Shan Yu, of the Huns, has invaded China, and they're ordering one man in every family in every village to join the military. When the officials entered my village, they had most of the men join, even my father was ordered to join. I didn't want him to join because he was sick. He's not healthy enough to join. I tried to convince to refuse, and we ended up having an argument. My father didn't want to turn away from his decision. And so, I decided to steal my father's armor, his conscription notice, his sword, and his horse," Mulan explained to the party, petting her horse.

"That's awfully deep, Mulan," Riku commented.

"So, you stole your father's armor so you can join the Army for your father, so you can keep him safe," Kairi noted.

"Yes, that's right," replied Mulan, "I don't want my father die."

"But you realize, if the Army discovers that you're a girl, you might face consequences, even the worst," reasoned Donald.

"I realize that, but I'm willing to take those chances…to preserve my family honor…and to save my father," said the determined Mulan.

"How about we come with you? We can help you with what you're doing," Sora offered.

"Really?" asked the Chinese girl, "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Riku.

"Oh, thank you, everyone!" Mulan said happily, "I have to get myself ready before I join the Army. Can you guys give me a moment?" asked Mulan. The group nodded, leaving Mulan to get herself ready for her enlistment.

"Mog, can you sense the Princess's Heart Fragment?" asked Sora.

Mog concentrated hard on locating the presence of Kairi's Fragment. "It's faint, but I sense the Fragment's energy in this world, kupo."

"I see," said Sora.

Mulan finally came from her hiding spot, after getting herself ready. "By the way, I was kind of wondering, what is that little bear of yours?" asked the curious Mulan.

"Mog is Mog, kupo!!!" Mog yelled happily into Mulan's hands.

"Mog is kind of like our mascot," Riku said to Mulan, "And sometimes an idol."

"Mog is an idol, kupo! Mog is very popular, kupo!" Mog said, happily dancing around.

"That reminds me, we didn't introduce ourselves," Riku said, "I'm Riku. This is Kairi, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto."

"It's nice to meet you all," Mulan said, smiling, "We should get out of here." The group agreed and followed Mulan through the bamboo forest until there were at a safe place.

* * *

The group took a little break in another clearing in the bamboo forest. Kairi and Mulan sat together on the rock, relaxing, while the boys were talking amongst themselves.

"You're lucky to have a friend like Sora, Kairi," Mulan said, "Have you two known each other for a long time?" she asked.

"I don't think we have," Kairi said in a melancholy tone. Unknown to Kairi, Sora overheard her and was immediately disheartened to hear that she has no memories of him from the beginning. It pained Sora to be reminded of the sacrifice he made.

"You don't remember?" Mulan asked.

"All I remember is my name, and a kingdom on a tropical island," Kairi said, recalling her recently revived memories, "It's a place where the sun shines beautifully on the land. The people in that kingdom lived happily. That's all I can remember," Kairi finished.

"I'm sorry, Kairi. I shouldn't have asked you," Mulan said, feeling guilty.

"No, it's okay," the Princess assured, "We're on a journey to recover the memories that I've lost. I might have forgotten, but that's what I was told…by, um…Sora."

While Sora was overhearing the girls, he remembered the time he and Kairi spent their time together.

* * *

_"Hey, Sora, you should just call me 'Kairi' instead of 'Princess Kairi,'" she said._

_"Why?" asked the confused Sora. He wasn't sure if it was okay. Sora didn't want to be impolite to his childhood friend, considering that she's a princess._

_"My brother said that we should call people by their names when they're really close to us," explained Kairi, "So, from now on, just call me 'Kairi,' okay?" Kairi said, smiling to her childhood friend._

* * *

"That's right, Princess Kairi," Sora said, smiling. Hearing Sora surprised Kairi a bit.

"Is there something wrong, Sora?" Kairi asked.

"Oh, no, Princess, just thinking," Sora reassured.

"Hey, guys, I have to practice acting and sounding like a guy," said Mulan, "Can you guys help me out?"

"Well, we'll try," Donald answered.

Mulan first cleared her throat, getting herself ready for this little audition. "Hello, I'm joining the Imperial Army. Are you joining, too? Why, yes, I'm a man! And I have a sword, too!" Mulan said in a masculine sounding voice. Mulan tried to show her "manliness" by drawing her sword in a manly fashion, only to have the handle slip out of her hand and letting her sword drop. Sora, Kairi, and Goofy were speechless. Honestly, for them, it looked really embarrassing. Riku just looked on with an amused look on his face.

"Hehe, that was very funny, kupo!" Mog giggled.

Meanwhile, Donald and Mulan's horse could only laugh at Mulan's comical auditioning. Unfortunately, Donald and the horse were only met with Mulan's shoes. "I'm working on it, okay!?" Mulan yelled at the two. Mulan placed her shoes back on and sighed in disappointment. "This is a lot harder than I thought," Mulan sighed, "It's going to take a miracle to pull this off."

"DID I HEAR SOMEONE ASK FOR A MIRACLE!?" a loud ominous voice roared.

Sora and his party were immediately on their guard when they saw a fire-illuminated smoky rock, bearing a gigantic shadow of a dragon. Sora immediately stood in front of Kairi, ready to defend the Princess, with his Keyblade in hand.

"IF I AM RIGHT, LET ME HEAR YOU SAY 'AAAHHH!!!'" the dragon yelled, making Mulan scream and hide in fear, "THAT'S CLOSE ENOUGH!"

"…A ghost…" Mulan said, shivering.

"GET READY, MULAN! YOUR SERPENTINE SALVATION IS AT HAND!" the dragon proclaimed, "FOR I HAVE BEEN SENT BY YOUR ANCESTORS…" The dragon stopped in the middle of his proclamation when he noticed a little cricket making a shadow puppet of a dragon. The dragon kicked the cricket down and continued. "…TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH YOUR MASQUERADE! SO HEED MY WORDS, 'CAUSE IF THE ARMY FINDS OUT YOU'RE A GIRL, THE PUNISHMENT IS DEATH!!" proclaimed the dragon, posing in a fearing position.

"…Who are you?" asked Mulan.

"WHO AM I!? WHO AM I!?" roared the dragon, "I AM THE GUARDIAN OF LOST SOULS! I AM THE POWERFUL! THE PLEASUREABLE! THE INDEstructable Mushu!" the dragon said, showing his true form. Much to the party's surprise, this dragon was actually a little dragon. "Pretty cool, huh?" Mushu asked the party, smiling. His smile didn't last long when the horse came up and began stomping on him. Mulan immediately stopped her horse and saw Mushu twitch in pain. The little dragon got up from the ground and began dusting himself off.

"A guardian?" Kairi asked.

"They are magical creatures that were sent by ancient spirits or gods to protect their descendants," Sora explained.

"My ancestor sent me a lizard to help me?" Mulan asked.

"Dragon! Dragon, not lizard! I don't do that tongue thing," Mushu said. Despite this claim, Mushu stuck his tongue out in a lizard-like fashion.

"You're, uh…" Donald didn't know how to put it into words.

"I'm intimidating, aren't I?" asked Mushu, grinning.

"You're tiny," Donald finished.

"Of course! I'm travel size for your convenience!" Mushu exclaimed.

"Did Mulan's ancestors really send you, Mushu?" Goofy asked.

"Of course, they sent me! What better guardian than me?" Mushu proclaimed.

"I don't know…" said the doubtful Mulan.

"Oh, come on, girl! I'm your number one dragon. I got the strength of ten and the eyes of the gods," exclaimed Mushu, "Even as we speak, my eyes can see right through your armor!" Mushu widened his eyes with his fingers, demonstrating. Mulan gasped in shock and covered her chest, slapping Mushu across the face. As the little dragon fell to the ground after the Chinese girl's slap, a little cricket appeared by Mushu's side, helping him up. "Oh, that's it! Dishonor!" Mushu yelled in an outrage, "Crickee, jot this down." Crickee picked up a small leaf and a pen of his own, recording Mushu's words. "Dishonor, Mulan! Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your family! Dishonor on your cow!"

Before Mushu could continue any further, Mulan shut his mouth. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry," Mulan said, calming down Mushu, "I'll let you help me, okay?"

"All right, but no slapping, you hear?" Mushu commanded sternly. Mushu then noticed her group of friends. "What about you guys? You guys joining the Army, too?"

"Not really, we're looking the Princess's Heart Fragments," Sora explained, "We were told that they're imprisoned in a Keyhole around here."

"A Keyhole, huh? You know what, I heard rumors about that from the ancestors," said the little dragon.

"Do you know where it is?" asked the anxious Sora.

"Sorry, Spiky, I wish I knew," Mushu said, shrugging.

"Hey, Mushu, did you see anyone as short as me with round ears?" Donald asked.

"Naw, man. I didn't see anyone that look like that," Mushu replied.

Donald and Goofy sighed in disappointment. The King was most likely on another world, waiting for the duo.

"Hey, what we are all waiting for, guys? Let's get this show on the road!" the little dragon cheered.

Mulan led the party onwards in the bamboo forest, hoping in her heart that everything would be successful. As for Sora, he awaited patiently, but anxiously for the appearance of a Keyhole, where it imprisoned Kairi's Heart Fragments.

"Sora, will we be able to find my Fragment?" asked Kairi.

"Don't worry, Princess. Mog knows that your Fragment is here. I'll find your Fragment, I promise," Sora told Kairi.

Kairi gave Sora a small smile, as a show of gratitude. "Thank you, Sora."

* * *

After walking around the bamboo forest for quite a while, the party arrived at a campsite, where they saw the enlisted soldiers preparing themselves for what's ahead, as well as getting their meals.

"This must be the Imperial Army's camp," Sora noticed, "Hey, Mulan, maybe this is where you're supposed to join."

"All right, Mulan, here's how it goes: spread your legs out, chest up, arms out, and start walking," Mushu instructed.

The results of Mushu's walking instructions were rather disastrous. Sora and his party were rather speechless on the way Mulan walked. Mulan looked back to see their reaction, but Sora and his party immediately hide their facial expression before the Chinese girl could see. Unfortunately, she failed to notice a big line in front of her and she unintentionally ran into a short man with a black eye. Running into him caused him to fall over, knocking the skinny man in front of him over, hitting a fat guy next, and causing a domino-style fall with the rest of the men and knocking over a big pot of grub for the men. Because of this disaster, the men began to fight amongst themselves, blaming one another for the fall and for missing their food. Sora took Kairi away to safety while Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Mog ran to a safe distance from the big mosh pit.

"These guys sure love to fight," Riku commented.

"They're fighting, they're fighting, kupo!" Mog hollered.

"Sora, look," Kairi said, pointing towards a man walking towards the group.

Sora saw the man that Kairi was pointing at. From the looks of his uniform, it was most likely that this man was the man in charge of this encampment.

"Soldiers!" the commander yelled, making the recruits stop their fight.

"He started it!" the men exclaimed, pointing at a cowering Mulan.

Mulan looked up and saw a man looking sternly at her. Mulan reluctantly got up from the ground, obviously afraid of the man.

"Identify yourself, soldier," the man commanded.

"My name is…uh…" Mulan hesitated.

"Ping!" Mushu interrupted in her armor.

"Ping?" asked the commander.

Mulan cleared her throat. "Yes, my name is Ping," Mulan/Ping said in a masculine voice.

"Let me see your conscription notice," the commander ordered, extending his hand out. Mulan/Ping searched his/her armor to look for the conscription notice. After thoroughly searching her armor, he/she finally found the conscription notice and gave it to his/her commanding officer. The commander read through the letter and went wide-eyed after reading it through. "You're from the Fa Family?" asked the surprised commander.

"Uh, why, yes, I am!" Mulan/Ping said proudly.

"Fa Zhou never said he had a son," the commander noted.

"Well, uh, he, um, never talks about me that much," Mulan/Ping explained. Mulan/Ping tried to demonstrate his/her manliness by doing the "manly" spit. Unfortunately, the attempted spit ended up making the saliva hang from Mulan's/Ping's mouth.

"I'm starting to know why," the commander said, unamused, "Listen up! I am Captain Shang of the Imperial Army! If you want to stay in this camp, you will do as you are told! If you survive the training, you will fight the Huns and bring honor to your families! Training will begin early in the morning, and you can thank your friend, Ping, for that," Shang announced to the men.

After hearing when the training will take place, the men could only glare at Mulan/Ping.

Sora and his friends walked towards the commander. "Excuse me, Captain," Sora greeted.

"Who are you?" the stern Shang asked.

"I'm Sora," he introduced, "This is Princess Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Mog. We're foreign travelers, studying different cultures. Our friend here helped us, so we're tagging along with him for our studies."

"Foreign travelers, huh? You realized this is military business, right?" asked Shang, "We're in the middle of a war."

"Yikes! He's scary, kupo!" Mog said, cringing behind Kairi's shoulder.

"We realize that, sir. But we won't get in the way," Goofy reasoned.

"We'll just be observers, that's all," Donald added in.

"We'll give you our word that we won't interfere," Riku assured.

"Hmm…" Shang thought hard about it. "Very well, you can stay. But if you get in our way, you'll be forced to leave."

"I understand, Captain," Sora said, nodding in agreement.

* * *

In the early morning, a scary pale man with a scary bird on his shoulder stared down at two frightened soldiers. While putting fear in these soldiers, a small group of Huns appeared behind this man and whispered something in his ear.

"What?" the man said in surprise.

"I'm afraid so, Master Shan Yu. These group of foreigners were so powerful that they even defeated our Heartless," one of the Huns explained.

"Then they also pose a threat to our plans," Shan Yu said in a frightening voice, "We must get rid of them as well." Shan Yu turned to the men, and continued to frighten them.

"The Emperor will stop you!" one scout said sternly.

"'Stop me?' He invited me," Shan Yu said, grinning sadistically, "He was the one who built the Great Wall, thus challenging me. I'm here to play his games." Shan Yu drew his curvy-edged sword and pointed it at the throats of the two scouts. "Tell your Emperor to send their strongest armies, because I'll be waiting," Shan Yu ordered with a sadistic smile. He watched as the scout got up from the ground, running for their lives. "How many men does it take to deliver a message?" Shan Yu asked.

"Just one," an archer Hun answered. With that, the archer shot an arrow, and all that was heard was the sound of an agonizing scream.

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

**Sorry I took so long. My school got in the way and that was a priority. And I apologize if this chapter sucked. The main problem was dividing the lines for everyone, considering that Kairi is supposed to be traveling with everyone to different worlds. Once again, I apologize for these complications.**


	5. Life in the Army

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - Past_

**Bold - Previous parts in chapter**

* * *

**"Who are you?" Kairi asked the boy.**

**"Me? Um, you guys aren't from the Imperial Army, are you?" the boy asked. The party shook their heads in response to the boy's question. "Then I guess it's safe to say," the boy said. He reached behind his head and began to untie his hair bun. What surprised the party was the fact that this wasn't a boy, it was a girl! "My name is Mulan," Mulan introduced.**

* * *

**"WHO AM I!? WHO AM I!?" roared the dragon, "I AM THE GUARDIAN OF LOST SOULS! I AM THE POWERFUL! THE PLEASUREABLE! THE INDEstructable Mushu!" the dragon said, showing his true form. Much to the party's surprise, this dragon was actually a little dragon. "Pretty cool, huh?" Mushu asked the party, smiling. **

* * *

**"Identify yourself, soldier," the man commanded.**

**"My name is…uh…" Mulan hesitated.**

**"Ping!" Mushu interrupted in her armor.**

**"Ping?" asked the commander.**

**Mulan cleared her throat. "Yes, my name is Ping," Mulan/Ping said in a masculine voice.**

**"Let me see your conscription notice," the commander ordered, extending his hand out. Mulan/Ping searched his/her armor to look for the conscription notice. After thoroughly searching her armor, he/she finally found the conscription notice and gave it to his/her commanding officer. The commander read through the letter and went wide-eyed after reading it through. "You're from the Fa Family?" asked the surprised commander.**

**"Uh, why, yes, I am!" Mulan/Ping said proudly.**

**"Fa Zhou never said he had a son," the commander noted.**

**"Well, uh, he, um, never talks about me that much," Mulan/Ping explained. Mulan/Ping tried to demonstrate his/her manliness by doing the "manly" spit. Unfortunately, the attempted spit ended up making the saliva hang from Mulan's/Ping's mouth.**

**"I'm starting to know why," the commander said, unamused.**

* * *

**"I'm Sora," he introduced, "This is Princess Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Mog. We're foreign travelers, studying different cultures. Our friend here helped us, so we're tagging along with him for our studies."**

**"Foreign travelers, huh? You realized this is military business, right?" asked Shang, "We're in the middle of a war."**

**"Yikes! He's scary, kupo!" Mog said, cringing behind Kairi's shoulder.**

**"We realize that, sir. But we won't get in the way," Goofy reasoned.**

**"We'll just be observers, that's all," Donald added in.**

**"We'll give you our word that we won't interfere," Riku assured.**

**"Hmm…" Shang thought hard about it. "Very well, you can stay. But if you get in our way, you'll be forced to leave."**

**"I understand, Captain," Sora said, nodding in agreement.**

* * *

**_Chapter 3: Life in the Army_**

* * *

It was sunrise at the Imperial Army camp. Mulan and Kairi shared a tent together away from the men's tents, leaving Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Pluto outside to stand guard and look for Kairi's Heart Fragments and to take turns sleeping.

Mulan and Kairi woke up to find Mushu and Mog waiting patiently for them.

"Good morning, kupo!" Mog greeted cheerily.

"Good morning, Mog," Kairi responded, smiling at the sweet creature.

"Mushu and Mog made you breakfast, kupo!" Mog gave Kairi a bowl of rice and chicken, and much to Kairi's surprise, it smelled really good.

"Thank you, Mog," said the smiling Princess.

"And here's yours, Mulan! And it's happy to see you!" Mushu showed Mulan a bowl of porridge, complete with two eggs and one piece of bacon in a formation of a happy face. Mulan was surprised to see Crickee pop out of the porridge, greeting her with a chirpy 'good morning.' "Get out of there! You're going to make people sick!" Mushu scolded, picking Crickee out of the porridge and throwing him out.

"Am I late?" Mulan questioned groggily.

Mushu didn't have time to answer her. Instead, he forcibly gave Mulan her breakfast by stuffing her food in her mouth. "No time, Mulan," Mushu began, while forcibly feeding the girl, "Now remember, it's your first time, so play nice with the boys. Unless they want to start something, then you kick their butts!"

"But I don't want to kick their butts," she reasoned with her mouth full.

"And don't talk with your mouth full," Mushu said strictly, "Now let's see your 'war face.'" Mulan, swallowing her food, didn't know how to make a war face, much to Mushu's disappointment. "Oh, scary," the little dragon said sarcastically, "Come on! A scary face!" he encouraged.

With Mushu's encouragement, Mulan growled loudly wearing a mean look on her face. "Kyaaa, Mulan is scary, kupo!" Mog cheered.

"Scary is good, Mog!" Mushu told the little creature. Mushu tied Mulan's hair into a bun-style, getting her ready for her training. In front of the tent, Mulan's horse began communicating to Mushu, with a warning look on his face. "What do you mean the troops left?" Mushu questioned the horse.

Mulan gasped at the news and quickly dressed herself and ran off. "Please be careful, Mulan!" Kairi called out.

"I will!" Mulan yelled out while running off.

Kairi got up from the tent and went outside for some fresh air, where she saw Sora walking towards Mog and her.

"Good morning, Princess," Sora greeted politely, "Good morning, Mog."

"Good morning, Sora," greeted Kairi with a smile.

"Good morning to you, too, kupo!" said the cheery Mog.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Kairi.

"Me and the others took turns sleeping," Sora explained, "We were walking around the campsite, looking for your Fragments."

"Did you find anything?" the Princess asked.

Sora shook his head in disappointment. "I'm sorry, Princess."

"No, it's okay, Sora," Kairi assured.

"Hey, Mog, can you feel the Fragment's energy?" he asked.

"One second, kupo!" Mog jumped on top of Sora's head and began to concentrate hard, searching for any traces of Kairi's Heart Fragment. "The energy is a little stronger than before, so I think we're getting nearer," informed Mog.

"I guess we're going to have to search a little further away from the campsite," Sora theorized, "By the way, where's Mulan?"

"She's already begun her training, kupo!" Mog answered Sora, while looking down from his head.

"I hope everything goes well for her," Kairi commented.

"Don't worry, Princess. I'm sure everything will be okay," Sora assured his friend.

* * *

While Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Pluto looked around for Kairi's Heart Fragment, Kairi, Mog, Mushu, and Crickee watched Mulan's/Ping's training.

Captain Shang shot an arrow at the top of a pillar. He told the recruits to retrieve the arrow. Most of the men thought it would be simple, but they never realized it would be too easy. Shang made it even more difficult by have two pieces of cloths with one weight attached to each. The men were expected to climb the pillar with weights attach to their arms. Of course, it was too difficult to climb with all the weight bearing down on them.

Mulan's/Ping's training was not going so well. Despite showing his/her determination, there was disaster in its wake. The first training seminar involved using a bo staff. Unfortunately, one skinny man dropped a beetle behind his/her shirt, making him/her squirm around and swinging his/her bo staff recklessly. Needless to say, Captain Shang was not happy to see what Mulan/Ping was doing. It only eared Mulan/Ping Captain Shang's cold look.

The second training seminar involved using arrows and practicing their accuracy and precision. Shang demonstrated his skills by launching three tomatoes in the air and shooting three arrows into the tomatoes perfectly. The men tried their luck to no avail. Not one of them managed to hit a tomato. When it was Mulan's/Ping's turn, Mushu snuck up on Mulan and stuck a tomato on an arrow she was about to shoot. Captain Shang saw this and gave Mulan a deep glare.

More intense training was difficult not only for the men, but for Mulan/Ping as well. Hand-to-hand training ended up getting Mulan/Ping hurt, as he/she was struck down by Captain Shang. What made it more difficult for them was the fact that a short man with a black eye and a skinny man were sabotaging her training sessions.

* * *

Nighttime fell and the men entered their tents for the night. Mulan/Ping was tired to the core.

"Are you all right, Mulan?" Kairi asked quietly, so no one could discover Mulan's identity.

"Yeah…" Mulan said with a disappointing sigh, "I don't even know how to make this easier," she said, massaging her cramped neck.

"You just gotta try harder, kupo!" Mog said in Kairi's arms.

Suddenly, Shang appeared with Mulan's/Ping's sword and his/her horse. Shang threw his/her sword at him/her. "Go home, Ping," Shang ordered coldly, "You're a disgrace to the military." Shang walked away from him/her, not wanting to see a disgrace in his eyes.

Mulan/Ping took it hard. He/she shut her eyes hard after Shang's harsh words. Kairi looked on sadly as Mulan/Ping took all the punishment. They were about to walk away together, seeing as there was nothing else they could do. However, Mulan's/Ping's eyes caught the attention of an obstacle that they've previously seen.

"That arrow…" Mulan/Ping remembered their first training. Up until now, no one has ever retrieved the arrow that Shang placed up high on the pillar. Mulan/Ping noticed the discarded weights on the ground. The men have given up on this first obstacle, not willing to try again. Mulan picked up the weights and her hopeless gaze turned into a gaze of determination. Perhaps there is still a chance to get through. Mulan/Ping gave Kairi his/her sword and wrapped the weights on her arms. "Kairi, I'll see you tomorrow morning," Mulan/Ping told her, "I'm going to finish this."

"Please be careful, Mulan," Kairi responded to her friend. Kairi, taking Mulan's/Ping's sword and Mog with her, led Mulan's/Ping's horse with her. Kairi realized that this was something Mulan/Ping had to do alone.

Mulan/Ping attempted to climb the pillar with the difficult weights strapped on her arms. Mulan/Ping spent almost the whole night trying to climb the pillar, and time was almost running out for her. There had to be another way to go up. Mulan/Ping took a good look at the weights. He/she knew he/she couldn't get a good grip on it. Then, it hit him/her! If he/she couldn't get a firm grip, then he/she will need an extra! Timing it just right, Mulan/Ping threw his/her arms around the pillar, making the weighted clothes wrap around each other, giving himself/herself a rope to latch around the pillar, giving himself/herself a good grip as he/she climbs up the pillar.

As he/she was climbing the pillar, it was already sunrise, and Sora, followed by Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Pluto, and Mog came back to check up on him/her to make sure everything was all right. To their surprise, Mulan/Ping was halfway up the pillar, which no man has ever gotten.

"Wow! Ping is high, kupo!" Mog cheered.

"I think she's getting the hang of everything," Riku noted.

"Go, Ping! You can do it!" Donald yelled.

Soon, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi started cheering for their friend to make it to the top, waking up the other new recruits as well. To their surprise, they found Mulan/Ping already up 85 of the pillar, just nearing the end of the pillar. Seeing how Mulan/Ping was so determined to finish, the men joined Sora and his party's cheering.

Shang woke up to the sound of men shouting and went outside his tent to see what was going on. As he stepped out, he saw an arrow impale itself on the ground in front of him. He looked up and he was amazed to see who was up there. The very person he discharged from the military was sitting at the top of the pillar. Shang never thought any of the recruits wouldn't make it to the top, but it seems Shang was proven wrong. The new recruits cheered Mulan/Ping for a job well done. "He actually did it…" Shang thought in amazement, "Maybe these recruits have some backbone after all."

* * *

Training resumed during that day. This time, Mulan/Ping was the one leading the way. His/her determination was what was inspiring these would-be troops. When it came to Mulan's/Ping's sparring session against Shang, Mulan/Ping landed a solid roundhouse kick to the face, knocking down the captain. It may have hurt Shang physically, but it was more than enough to impress the captain. Mulan's/Ping's bullies even landed a solid friendship with him/her.

* * *

Night fell and the recruits started to call it a night. Mulan/Ping gave herself a good night's rest after a successful training.

Meanwhile, Kairi waited for any news from Sora and his friends, as they continued to look for clues about the whereabouts of Kairi's Fragments.

"Have you found anything, yet?" asked Goofy.

"Not a thing," Donald answered, "We looked everywhere and there's not a single clue."

"It's probably not in this camp," Riku told Sora, "We should probably go somewhere else away from here."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Sora agreed. Sora walked over to Kairi with the bad news in mind. "Princess, I'm sorry, but we weren't able to look for your Fragments," he informed Kairi.

"It's okay, Sora," she assured, "I know you tried your best."

"Don't worry, Princess," Donald said, standing tall like a soldier, "We'll find your Fragment if it's the last thing we do."

"Yes, I know you will, Donald," said the smiling Princess.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Mushu appeared on Riku's shoulder. "Hey, guys, pack your bags 'cause we're moving out!" Mushu announced.

"What's going on?" Riku asked.

"We just got a call from Shang's pops," the little dragon started, "He says that we have to meet him in the front lines!"

* * *

Sora and his party accompanied the Imperial Army. It was a long walk towards their destination. Kairi sat on Mulan's/Ping's horse for the rest of the way, while Sora and the others went on foot.

Later during that day, they found themselves on a snowy mountain.

"Are you guys sure you want to accompany us?" asked Mulan/Ping.

"We looked everywhere around the campsite for the Princess's Fragment, but we haven't found anything," explained Sora, "So we're going to travel a bit further."

"The Fragment's energy is getting stronger little by little, kupo!" Mog informed the party, "We're getting nearer!"

"That means we're on the right track," Goofy commented.

Suddenly, the Imperial Army stopped in their tracks. Everyone was shocked to see what lied before their eyes.

They found a devastated village, burned to the ground. No survivors in sight. Some of the men walked around the destroyed village to search for anyone, injured or not.

Sora walked around the destroyed village, shocked to see the ruins. Shan Yu must have done this. Kairi followed closely to him, holding onto him, showing that she was horrified to see the destruction.

"I don't understand," Shang said, "My father was supposed to be here."

"Captain, you have to see this," Riku said, pointing in his direction.

Shang went towards Riku's position, where he saw what Riku beheld. It was a battlefield. The Imperial Army was decimated. There were clearly no survivors in sight. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, Mog, and the Imperial Army gasped in shock at the sight. From the battlefield, one of the soldiers presented a helmet to Shang. Judging from the looks of it, this helmet belonged to a commanding officer. "Father…" Shang said in sorrow, "Riku, have everyone move out, I'll be with you guys in a moment," Shang instructed.

Riku did as instructed and told the army to saddle up. Kairi then felt a mysterious presence, grabbing Sora's attention. "What's wrong, Princess?"

Kairi placed her hand over her heart. "Everyone…" Kairi said, "They're…all crying…"

Sora was surprised at Kairi. She could feel the presence of their ghosts? Was this one of Kairi's mysterious powers? Kairi noticed a doll on the ground. She realized even the children didn't make it in this horrific event. Sora then witnessed Shang placing a sword into the ground a placing the helmet on the hand of the sword. This was most likely a grave marker for his father. Shang then offered his prayers to his passing father and got up and walked back to his men. Before Sora and Kairi left, Kairi placed the doll next to the sword and offered her own prayers to the deceased. The Princess then walked with Sora to regroup with their friends.

* * *

As the group and the Army continued their trek around the snowy mountains, they tried to forget the image of the battlefield, which continued to wander in their minds. They all realized what kind of battle they would endure. If Shan Yu is capable of that, think of what could happen to them.

Sora noticed Kairi shivering in the cold. Being a noble boy that he is, Sora removed his hooded-shirt. "Here you go, Princess." Sora draped his hooded-shirt over Kairi's shoulders.

"Thank you," Kairi said, smiling out of appreciation. Kairi closed his shirt around her, trying to keep herself warm from the snow.

While the party walked, Mulan's/Ping's carriage suddenly burst into flames. They saw one of the cannons fly out of the carriage and into sky and exploding. Mulan/Ping and Donald glared into the carriage. They knew why the cannon went off. Mushu looked off in shock and then pointed fingers at Crickee, who, in turn, glared at Mushu for trying to put the blame on him.

Shang saw what happened and walked angrily at Mulan/Ping. "What do you think you're doing!?" yelled the captain, "You just gave away our position!" Suddenly, an arrow hit Shang on the shoulder. Luckily, his armor shielded him from any wounds. Sora's party and the Imperial Army looked up and saw a barrage of arrows flying towards them. Miraculously, and strangely, as the arrows landed, the arrows landed nowhere near Kairi. The Princess flinched as the arrows tried to hit her to no avail. Sora immediately came to her aid and deflected any arrows that would come near her with his Keyblade in hand. Sora immediately took the Princess's hand and helped her ran to a safe position. Goofy used his shield to block any incoming arrows, while Donald ran around, thanking his lucky stars that none of the arrows hit him.

"Are you all right, Donald?" asked Goofy out of concern.

"Yeah," said Donald, "Where's Mog and Pluto?" Donald looked around until he saw Pluto standing where the Imperial Army was. From where Kairi was at, he saw Mog appear from Sora's hood, waving at Donald. "Mog, what are you doing all the way over there!?" yelled Donald.

"Mog was sleeping, kupo!" Mog responded.

Donald grumbled at the white creature and ran with Goofy to where the Imperial Army and their friends were.

Riku helped some of the soldiers gather the cannons. Mulan/Ping had difficult time trying to get his/her horse to come along, but the carriage was slowing them down. Mulan/Ping then used his/her sword to cut the horse free. Using his/her horse, he/she attempted regroup with the others. Unfortunately, one more arrow startled his/her horse, making it reel back in reaction and throwing him/her off. Mulan/Ping fell back and hit the ground hard, knocking him/her unconscious.

Sora and his friends saw what happened. "Princess, please stay here with the Army," said Sora.

"Okay," replied Kairi, "Please be careful."

"Don't worry, Princess," Sora assured. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku ran towards the unconscious Mulan/Ping and set themselves up as a protective barrier.

The party looked up on a hill and saw Shan Yu standing at the top. Behind him, they saw his Hun Army and the Heartless, getting ready to attack. When Shan Yu gave the signal, he sent a squad of Huns and Heartless towards Sora and his party.

Sora and his party fought well against the Huns and the Heartless. Using their natural skills in fighting, Mulan/Ping didn't get a single scratch on him/her. Sora and his party fought on until Mulan/Ping regained consciousness. The party finished off the last of the squad and ran back to the Army with Mulan/Ping.

At the top of the hill, Shan Yu and the rest of his Army charged towards the party. One of the soldiers prepared a cannon, aiming straight for Shan Yu himself. While they tried to light the cannon, Mulan/Ping noticed a mountainside with a big block of snow on the wall high in the air. Mulan/Ping then snatched the cannon and ran to a better position. He/she took aim of the cannon and pointed it at the big block of snow. Mulan/Ping realized that he/she didn't have any flints with him/her to light the cannon. Luckily, Mushu accompanied him/her. Shan Yu was getting closer and closer to her, until Mulan/Ping lit her cannon with Mushu. The cannon fired close towards Shan Yu, startling him. However, much to the dismay of Mushu, the cannon headed off into a different direction, with Mushu riding along the way.

"You missed!" Mushu yelled in a distance, "How could you miss him!? He was three feet in front of you!"

The cannon made a direct hit on the patch of snow, causing it to falter towards the Army and the Heartless. Shan Yu, seeing the "missed" shot, saw the opportunity to take a swipe at Mulan's/Ping's side. Mulan/Ping fell back after the swipe and ran back to the others. Shan Yu looked back as Mulan/Ping ran back to his/her Army. He witnessed the snow fall on his Army. He then realized why Mulan/Ping shot at the mountainside. He/she was creating an avalanche, which would take down his entire Army. Shan Yu tried to run away from it, but the avalanche engulfed him.

Sora and his party, along with the Army took shelter behind a tall rock, which shielded them from the incoming avalanche. Sora did his best to shield Kairi from behind the rock, in case the avalanche was to break through towards her.

With the avalanched passed, they looked around to see the entire Hun Army and the Heartless defeated. No one survived the natural disaster.

"Ping, what you did was the most insane, stupidest thing you've ever done!" Shang yelled, "And for that, I thank you," Shang said, regaining his composure. Mulan/Ping smiled in return for the Captain's gratitude.

"Are you okay, Princess?" asked Sora.

"Yes, I'm fine," Kairi answered.

Mulan/Ping tried to stand up, but he/she winced in pain. Shang took a look at her side and noticed blood seeping through her armor. Apparently, Shan Yu's swipe made a direct hit.

* * *

That evening, Shang, Sora and his party, and the Army waited outside for any changes from Mulan/Ping. They set up a tent for Mulan/Ping to get medical treatment for her wound. A doctor came outside and delivered some news about Mulan's/Ping's condition. Shang held a surprised look on his face and entered the tent. What's got him surprised?

Shang went inside the tent and looked at Mulan/Ping. Mulan/Ping sat up from the ground. Unfortunately, the blanket that was draped over him/her fell down from her chest, revealing her true nature. Shang was shocked to know that Ping, or rather Mulan, was a girl. Mulan immediately covered herself in shame, to realize that she was revealed as a woman. Shang came out of the tent with disgust in his eyes.

"Shang, wait!" Mulan called out, "My name is Mulan. I joined the Army to save my father. I had no choice!" The army was shocked to realize Mulan's true identity.

"Sora, you and your friends knew all along, didn't you?" Shang interrogated.

Sora and his friends remained silent. Their silence was enough for an answer for the upset captain. Shang then unsheathed Mulan's sword and walked towards the girl, with the sword ready. Sora, Donald, and Goofy attempted to intervene, but some of the soldiers held them back. Mulan knelt to the ground. She knew of the consequences and she willingly resigned to her fate. She awaited her punishment, but much to the surprise of everyone, Shang dropped her sword to the ground in front of her.

"A life for a life," Shang began, "My debt is repaid." Shang turned his back on Mulan and walked away from her. Shang stopped next to Sora and gave him a cold look. "Sora, you and your friends are no longer welcome in the squad," Shang said coldly, "You and your friends get out of my sight." The captain then walked away from Mulan and her friends, taking the soldiers with him towards a new direction.

* * *

It was nighttime. Sora and the other set up camp, trying to warm themselves up to the small campfire. Mulan held a blanket over her shoulders, trying to keep herself warm. Kairi continued to have Sora's hooded shirt draped over her shoulders, while keeping herself warm to the campfire.

"We're sorry for what happened, Mulan," Kairi said, trying to comfort her friend.

"No, it's not your fault, Kairi," Mulan said, "It was mine to begin with." Mulan held her head down in shame for all the events that have taken place.

"Don't be sad," said Donald, "You can't put this all against yourself."

"He's right," Goofy said, "None of this can't be your fault, Mulan."

"I was this close," Mushu said next to Mulan, "Impressing ancestors, getting the top shelf and entourage. Man, all my hard work for nothing," sighed the little dragon.

"I never should have left home in the first place," Mulan sighed.

"But wasn't it because you wanted to save your father?" Riku asked, "How could you say that now?"

"Because I've realized, I didn't go for my father's sake," answered Mulan, "I think I wanted a chance to do something right, so that when I look in the mirror, I can see someone worthwhile." Mulan burst into tears, holding her knees to her chest. "But I was wrong, I see nothing!" Mulan exclaimed, burying her face in her knees. Kairi got up from her spot and placed her hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her.

Mushu started to sympathize with Mulan. "You know what, Mulan, I need to confess something," Mushu said, "To be honest, we're both fakes." Mushu's confession caught Mulan's attention. "Your ancestors didn't send me to help you, they don't even like me," Mushu confessed, "You risked your life to help the people that you love. I only risked your life just to help myself. But you know what? You're the one who did for good intentions." Crickee then chirped towards Mushu. Something about what Crickee said surprised Mushu greatly. "What!? What do you mean you're not lucky?" Mushu yelled, "You mean you lied to me?" Crickee nodded regrettably in response. "What about you, Mog? Are you a plush toy or something!?" Mushu demanded.

"No, Mog is Mog, kupo!" Mog answered.

"It doesn't matter anymore," sighed Mulan, "I'll have to face my father sooner or later."

"You're not alone on this, Mulan," Riku stated, "We helped you in this, so it's only fair if we also take some responsibility."

"You'd do that? Knowing that I involved every one of you?" asked Mulan.

"Of course!" Sora exclaimed, "You're not alone on this, Mulan."

"We'll face it together," Kairi assured.

Mulan smiled at her friend's kindness. "Thanks, everyone," Mulan said, wiping her tears, "What will you do now?"

"We still have to look for the Princess's Fragments," Sora replied.

"The Fragment's energy is still getting a little stronger, kupo!" informed Mog.

"Let's try heading into the same direction Shang was going," Riku declared, "We're bound to find something there."

"I agree," Donald said.

"You know what?" Mulan said, getting up, "You've all helped me a lot. I'll help you find Kairi's Fragments. It's the least I can do, after all the trouble I put your through."

Sora nodded in agreement. Mulan wanted to repay her debt, and the party could use the extra hand. "Thank you, Mulan."

"Hey, guys, look!" Goofy alerted the party and pointed towards where the avalanche had fallen.

To the party's surprise, they found something they had not expected. They found Shan Yu with a small group of surviving Huns. They looked down from the mountainside, where they saw an illuminated city.

"Kyaa! Shan Yu's alive, kupo!" said the frightened Mog.

"Those guys just popped out like daisies!" said the scared Mushu.

"He's heading towards the Imperial City," Mulan noticed, "We have to warn everyone!"

Suddenly, Mog went wide-eyed. "Sora, Mog just located Kairi's Fragment, kupo!"

"Where?" asked Sora.

"It's down there, in the Imperial City, kupo!" Mog said, pointing at the City.

"We found it," Sora thought to himself, "Lead the way, Mulan!"

Mulan ran off towards another path away from the Huns, leading Sora and his party on the way. It's going to be a big fight against the leader of the Hun Army. It wasn't just a fight to preserve peace in China; it was also Sora's fight to retrieve his childhood friend's Heart Fragment. Sora didn't want to think of any dangers that lied in his path. His only thoughts were Kairi's Fragment.

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	6. Retrieved

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - Past_

**Bold - Previous parts in chapter**

* * *

**"Me and the others took turns sleeping," Sora explained, "We were walking around the campsite, looking for your Fragments."**

**"Did you find anything?" the Princess asked.**

**Sora shook his head in disappointment. "I'm sorry, Princess."**

**"No, it's okay, Sora," Kairi assured.**

**"Hey, Mog, can you feel the Fragment's energy?" he asked.**

**"One second, kupo!" Mog jumped on top of Sora's head and began to concentrate hard, searching for any traces of Kairi's Heart Fragment. "The energy is a little stronger than before, so I think we're getting nearer," informed Mog.**

**"I guess we're going to have to search a little further away from the campsite," Sora theorized.**

* * *

**As he/she was climbing the pillar, it was already sunrise, and Sora, followed by Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Pluto, and Mog came back to check up on him/her to make sure everything was all right. To their surprise, Mulan/Ping was halfway up the pillar, which no man has ever gotten.**

**"Wow! Ping is high, kupo!" Mog cheered.**

**"I think she's getting the hang of everything," Riku noted.**

**"Go, Ping! You can do it!" Donald yelled.**

**Soon, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi started cheering for their friend to make it to the top, waking up the other new recruits as well. To their surprise, they found Mulan/Ping already up 85 of the pillar, just nearing the end of the pillar. Seeing how Mulan/Ping was so determined to finish, the men joined Sora and his party's cheering.**

**Shang woke up to the sound of men shouting and went outside his tent to see what was going on. As he stepped out, he saw an arrow impale itself on the ground in front of him. He looked up and he was amazed to see who was up there. The very person he discharged from the military was sitting at the top of the pillar. Shang never thought any of the recruits wouldn't make it to the top, but it seems Shang was proven wrong. The new recruits cheered Mulan/Ping for a job well done. "He actually did it…" Shang thought in amazement, "Maybe these recruits have some backbone after all."**

* * *

**Sora walked around the destroyed village, shocked to see the ruins. Shan Yu must have done this. Kairi followed closely to him, holding onto him, showing that she was horrified to see the destruction.**

**"I don't understand," Shang said, "My father was supposed to be here."**

**"Captain, you have to see this," Riku said, pointing in his direction.**

**Shang went towards Riku's position, where he saw what Riku beheld. It was a battlefield. The Imperial Army was decimated. There were clearly no survivors in sight. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, Mog, and the Imperial Army gasped in shock at the sight. From the battlefield, one of the soldiers presented a helmet to Shang. Judging from the looks of it, this helmet belonged to a commanding officer. "Father…" Shang said in sorrow, "Riku, have everyone move out, I'll be with you guys in a moment," Shang instructed.**

**Riku did as instructed and told the army to saddle up. Kairi then felt a mysterious presence, grabbing Sora's attention. "What's wrong, Princess?"**

**Kairi placed her hand over her heart. "Everyone…" Kairi said, "They're…all crying…"**

* * *

**"Shang, wait!" Mulan called out, "My name is Mulan. I joined the Army to save my father. I had no choice!" The army was shocked to realize Mulan's true identity.**

**"Sora, you and your friends knew all along, didn't you?" Shang interrogated.**

**Sora and his friends remained silent. Their silence was enough for an answer for the upset captain. Shang then unsheathed Mulan's sword and walked towards the girl, with the sword ready. Sora, Donald, and Goofy attempted to intervene, but some of the soldiers held them back. Mulan knelt to the ground. She knew of the consequences and she willingly resigned to her fate. She awaited her punishment, but much to the surprise of everyone, Shang dropped her sword to the ground in front of her.**

**"A life for a life," Shang began, "My debt is repaid." Shang turned his back on Mulan and walked away from her. Shang stopped next to Sora and gave him a cold look. "Sora, you and your friends are no longer welcome in the squad," Shang said coldly, "You and your friends get out of my sight." The captain then walked away from Mulan and her friends, taking the soldiers with him towards a new direction.**

* * *

**Suddenly, Mog went wide-eyed. "Sora, Mog just located Kairi's Fragment, kupo!"**

**"Where?" asked Sora.**

**"It's down there, in the Imperial City, kupo!" Mog said, pointing at the City.**

**"We found it," Sora thought to himself, "Lead the way, Mulan!"**

* * *

**_Chapter 3: Retrieved_**

* * *

Sora and his party arrived at the Imperial City, where Shang continued to lead his men in a parade, which is to honor of their supposed victory over Shan Yu. 

Shang and his parade came to a stop when Sora and his party halted in front of them.

"What do you want?" Shang asked coldly, "I told you, you're all dismissed."

"Captain, Shan Yu and the Huns, they're still alive," Mulan warned.

"Why should I believe you?" he asked, reminded by the fact that Mulan deceived them.

"She's telling the truth!" Donald exclaimed, "Get it through that thick head of yours!"

"Leave my sight," Shang said, walking around them.

Mulan once again blocked his path, standing firm in front of him. "Shang, if you so much as owe your life to 'Ping,' why is Mulan any different?" she demanded.

Shang hesitated to answer. He simply just walked around Mulan, ignoring the young woman. Shang couldn't be convinced, so Mulan ran off into the palace yard.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Mushu called out.

"I'm going to look for someone who will listen," Mulan said.

Sora and his group followed after Mulan, in order to try to warn everyone about Shan Yu's survival.

* * *

Shang and his men walked up the stairs towards the palace gate, where the Chinese Emperor awaited them. Shang and his men approached the emperor and knelt down towards their leader. 

"My children, heaven has smiled down upon us all," the Emperor proudly announced, "China shall sleep peacefully tonight because of our brave warriors!"

The crowd cheered for their courageous soldiers, unaware to the fact that their victory was far from over.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora and the others were busy trying to warn everyone of Shan Yu's survival, but to no avail. Even Kairi had trouble convincing everyone. 

"It's no use, Sora," Kairi said, "Nobody will listen to us."

"Yeah," Sora agreed, "But we have to keep trying. Someone is bound to listen to us, sooner or later."

Sora and Kairi continued possible hopeless warnings to the citizens. Mulan was not doing so well on her end. Like the others, no one would also listen to her.

* * *

At the palace steps, Shang presented a sword to the Emperor. 

"Your Majesty, I present to you the sword of Shan Yu," Shang said, kneeling down.

"I know how much this means to you, Captain," the Emperor said, "Your father would be very proud of you."

Before the Emperor could take the sword, a falcon suddenly swooped down taking the sword away, startling the Captain and the Emperor.

The falcon, with the sword in its talons, rose to the roofs and dropped the sword off. Suddenly, one of the statues on the rooftops moved its arms, catching the sword. Then, out of the shadows, the statue revealed itself. It was Shan Yu!

The crowd gasped at the sight of Shan Yu. Some of them realized Sora and his friends were right.

With one swing of his sword, a small group of Huns and Heartless ambushed the Imperial Soldiers and the Emperor. The Huns grabbed the Emperor and forced him into the palace, leaving the Heartless to deal with the Imperial Army. The Huns had the gate locked to prevent the Imperial Army from getting in.

As the Imperial Army got themselves ready to fight the Heartless, Sora and his party entered the fight and began to fight off the Heartless.

"Captain, is there any way to get inside the palace?" asked Mulan.

"You're helping me, even after what I said?" questioned Shang.

"Sora has something to do, and Mulan wants to help him after the trouble we went through together," Riku notified, "And Sora needs your help to do this."

"You can count on us, Captain," Goofy said with a thumbs up.

Shang saw how serious they were and decided to give in to their request. He also remembered why he helped trained "Ping" in the first place. It was to help fight off the Huns. And right now, he needed all the help he could get. "There's a window up there," Shang said, pointing out an open window, "We need to get up there, somehow."

"Sora, that window is all yours," Riku said, "We'll hold off the Heartless here."

"You need to get Kairi's Fragment," Donald reminded.

"Are you sure about this?" Sora asked the group.

"You helped me, Sora," Mulan said, "I want to help you, this time. Plus, I want to help Kairi. She's my friend, too, right?"

Sora was sure surprised by their decision, but nodded in agreement to their request. "All right, be careful, you guys," Sora said to the group.

"Don't worry about a thing," Riku said, fighting his share of Heartless.

"Princess, please wait here with everyone, okay?" Sora requested politely.

"Okay," Kairi said, nodding, "Please be careful, Sora."

Sora nodded to his friend and ran off to get inside the palace. Using his running speed, Sora ran up a pillar to reach a suitable height.

After reaching the correct height, Sora used his footing to boost himself into the open window of the palace.

"I hope he's all right," Kairi said worriedly.

"Don't worry, Princess," Riku said, "He'll be fine."

Riku and the group continued to fight off the Heartless, while Sora will deal with the Huns and Shan Yu himself. Then, if all went successful, Sora will find Kairi's Heart Fragment that they all worked so hard to retrieve.

* * *

Inside the palace, two Huns forcefully brought the Emperor in the high balcony, where Shan Yu popped in. 

"Boo," Shan Yu said mockingly, "Guard the door." Shan Yu's men ran off to stand guard, leaving the evil man to the Emperor. "Your time has come, old man. Your walls and your armies have fallen," Shan Yu said, pointing his sword towards his face.

* * *

Sora ran around the palace, looking for any whereabouts of Shan Yu and the Emperor. Sora knew full well what he was going up against. But that didn't matter. Kairi's Heart Fragment was at stake, and he wasn't leaving without it. 

After running around for a few minutes, Sora found a group of Huns guarding a large door. Sora had his Keyblade drawn. He was in for a big fight.

"Out of my way," Sora demanded.

"Make us," one of the Huns stated.

Sora bravely charged towards the Huns, who had their own respective weapons drawn. Sora used his natural agility to dodge incoming sword swipes and arrows being shot at him. Sora concentrated his first target on the two bald Huns, who were armed with swords. Sora used his Keyblade to deflect their attacks skillfully. Despite the ferocity of the two Huns, Sora proved to be the better fighter, using a combination of Keyblade strikes and kicks.

Sora then turned his attention to a muscle-toned Hun, who uses hand-to-hand combat. Sora realized his kicks weren't enough to knock the man down. He would have to use his Keyblade for this one. Luckily for Sora, the muscle-toned Hun was not fast. Dodging his attacks was easy for Sora to make a hard strike to the face with his Keyblade.

With the muscle-toned Hun out of the way, Sora dodged an incoming arrow in the nick of time. Sora charged at the Archer Hun, breaking down every arrow that was shot at him. The Archer Hun reached behind his back for more arrows, only to realize that he was out. Sora jumped high into the air, attempting to strike downwards with his Keyblade. Out of desperation, the Hun tried to block Sora's weapon with his bow. Unfortunately, the bow was not strong enough to stop Sora's powerful weapon. With the bow destroyed, Sora caught the Hun off guard, long enough to deliver a strong kick to the face, knocking out the Hun.

Finally, Sora's final opponent was a Long-haired Hun, who was armed with a sword. Sword or not, his swordsmanship skills were not match for Sora's strong determination to complete his mission. As the Hun and Sora locked their swords in an effort to prove their strength, Sora quickly disarmed the Hun and struck sideways with his Keyblade, quickly doing away with the Hun.

Sora panted and knelt to the ground, with his Keyblade propping him up. He never expected that fighting five Huns would be so tiring. However, Sora had no time to rest, while Kairi's Heart Fragment was on the line. Standing up from the ground, Sora began to walk towards the throne room, where Shan Yu and the Emperor awaited.

* * *

Shan Yu stood at the balcony and continued to hold the Emperor in his clutches tightly. 

"Your arrogance annoys me, old man," Shan Yu said, "I order you to bow to me!" Shan Yu held his sword at the Emperor's throat.

The Emperor continued to stand composed. He showed no fear towards the vicious Hun. "No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it."

"Then you will kneel in pieces." Shan Yu drew his sword back, ready to strike the Emperor.

Sora barged through the doors and immediately ran towards Shan Yu and the Emperor. Before Shan Yu's sword could strike the Emperor, Sora blocked the strike with his Keyblade, giving the Emperor enough time to escape from the throne room.

"You!" Shan Yu grimaced at the sight of Sora. "You are the one my men spoke of. A powerful boy with a strange weapon."

"It ends here, Shan Yu!" Sora proclaimed, "Call off your Heartless and surrender!"

"Hmph! You may have taken my hostage away, but at least I have a spare." Shan Yu snapped his fingers, calling for a flying Heartless. What shocked Sora the most was what this Heartless had in its hands.

"Princess!" Sora yelled.

"Sora, help me!" Kairi said pleadingly, "I'm scared."

"Let her go!" Sora demanded Shan Yu.

"My Heartless friends mentioned that they captured someone important to you, while your friends were busying fending them off," Shan Yu informed with a sadistic attitude, "They couldn't do anything to help her. The Heartless continued to distract them, while this one captured her."

"I said, let her go!" Sora yelled.

"You have no authority over me, boy," said Shan Yu.

Sora finally had enough of Shan Yu's babbling. Sora charged towards Shan Yu, ready to strike down the Hun leader. While Sora was about to strike down Shan Yu, he kept an eye on Kairi, to make sure nothing happens to her. Then, out of nowhere, another Heartless appeared next to Kairi and pointed its blade at her neck. Sora instantly stopped in his tracks, with his Keyblade inches away from Shan Yu's head. Shan Yu smiled evilly and gave Sora a mean punch to the face, knocking the young teenager back. Sora staggered to his feet and gritted his teeth in anger towards Shan Yu.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, the Heartless are under strict orders to end the girl's life upon my defeat," taunted Shan Yu.

Sora tightened his grip on his Keyblade in anger. He was in no mood to play any of Shan Yu's sadistic games. Yet, he didn't want to endanger his friend's life. What was he supposed to do?

Shan Yu drew his sword and began to swing at Sora. Sora blocked Shan Yu's strikes. The Hun leader's strikes were powerful. When Shan Yu tried to strike again, Sora parried the attack, leaving the Hun leader wide open for an attack. However, every time Sora had the chance to strike, the two Heartless would always show that they were threatening to take Kairi's life. With that, Sora hesitated for a second, leaving Shan Yu the chance to kick Sora into the air. Sora hit the ground very hard. The impact almost made Sora stay on the ground completely. Yet, the young teenager showed his determination by standing up, despite his injuries.

"You're very brave, boy," Shan Yu commented, "But foolish."

Shan Yu slashed downwards towards Sora, making the young teenager block upwards. However, while Sora was blocking the attack, Shan Yu seized the opportunity to punch Sora in the face, knocking the young boy down. With another sword swipe, Sora blocked the attack, giving the Hun leader an opening for his own attack. The method was repeating itself. Sora was helpless in this sick and twisted game of Shan Yu.

Kairi watched on helplessly as Sora was being tortured in his fight. She didn't want to see any more. She desperately wanted to get free from the Heartless' clutches to help Sora. "Stop it!" Kairi yelled, "Leave my childhood friend alone!"

Something clicked in Sora's head when he heard Kairi. Childhood friend? Sora blocked another one of Shan Yu's downward slashes. Shan Yu wanted to end it this time and tried to force the blade into Sora. Sora staggered to his knees due to Shan Yu's strength. While he kept Shan Yu's blade at bay, he was also disturbed when he heard Kairi say, 'Childhood friend.'

* * *

_"You and I have been best friends ever since we were little, Sora."_

* * *

That's when Sora realized. Sora's strength resolved and used his strength to push Shan Yu's blade back. Shan Yu staggered back at Sora's sudden strength. What surprised him the most was when Sora did a jumping slash towards Shan Yu. Shan Yu blocked the attack in the nick of time, but the young teenager seized the chance to give Shan Yu a deserving kick to the face, knocking Shan Yu back and on the ground. 

"You're mad!" Shan Yu said in disbelief, "Your friend's life is about to end and you continue to fight back!?"

"The one you have there is not real," Sora said calmly.

"What are you babbling about?" Shan Yu asked, denying Sora, "Are you that ignorant?"

Sora closed his eyes. "The Princess…" Sora held his head down in sorrow. He was continually reminded of the pain of his sacrifice. "The Princess…will never remember me as a childhood friend anymore," Sora said regrettably.

With that, Sora drew back his Keyblade and threw it with full force at the two Heartless and the illusionary Kairi. The two Heartless were immediately vanquished and the illusionary Kairi dissipated. Sora then retrieved his Keyblade and turned his attention towards the Hun leader.

Infuriated that his plan was ruined once again, Shan Yu roared in anger and charged towards Sora, attempting to bring his sword down on the Keyblade wielder. Sora stayed composed and blocked Shan Yu's powerful strike. The Hun leader showed that he was full of anger towards the calm Keyblade wielder. Sora showed no fear to the Hun leader and began to push Shan Yu back. Shan Yu couldn't believe how powerful Sora was.

"How could this be!?" questioned Shan Yu, "This is impossible!"

Suddenly, from the giant doors, Riku and the others came in.

"Looks like we made it in time," Riku sighed in relief. Riku and the party looked around at the damage done by Sora.

"Whoa!" said the surprised Goofy, "Did Sora do all this?"

"Way to go, Sora!" cheered Mog, who was sitting on top of Donald's head.

"All right, my turn now!" Mushu announced. Mushu had himself strapped to a giant rocket firework. The little dragon then lit a small match for Crickee, who used the match to light Mushu's firework. Aiming the rocket at Shan Yu, Mushu prepared himself for a big ride. Finally, the rocket launched with Mushu strapped on. When it was just right, Mushu hurled the rocket at Shan Yu and undid his straps.

"Sora, behind you!" Kairi yelled out.

Sora looked behind him and noticed the incoming rocket. In the last minute, Sora forced his Keyblade upwards, hurling Shan Yu's sword into the air, giving Sora the chance to do a sidekick to the Hun leader's chin. Shan Yu staggered back, while Sora dove out of the way of the incoming rocket. The Hun leader shook out of his dazed condition and failed to see the rocket coming at him. Shan Yu didn't have the time to dodge and the rocket hits him in the belly, propelling him out of the balcony and into the firework tower. Upon impact of the tower, the firework rocket caused a huge explosion and fireworks began to fly everywhere. But one thing was for sure, Shan Yu was finished. The war against the Huns was over.

* * *

With the whole situation calmed down, Mulan, Shang, the Imperial Army, Sora and his friend stood before the Emperor of China, while the audience watched on in suspense. 

"This event was rather chaotic," commented the Emperor.

Shang stepped forward. "Your Majesty, please allow me to explain," Shang asked for permission.

The Emperor motioned for Shang to stand aside. Doing as he ordered, Shang and his men parted to give the Emperor a clear path to Mulan. Mulan reluctantly stepped forward and bowed before the Emperor.

"I have so many things about you, Fa Mulan," the Emperor started, "I was told that you stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated a soldier, deceived your commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese Army, destroyed my palace, AND…" Mulan was prepared for the worst as she winced away while keeping herself bowed before her leader. "…you have saved us all."

The Emperor bowed before Mulan, honoring her for her heroic efforts. Following the Emperor, Shang and his men bowed before Mulan, along with Sora and his friends. Much to Mulan's surprise, she found everyone bowing before her. Not long, she found even the entire Chinese population bowing before her.

"My little baby's all grown up," Mushu said, sniffling, "You have a tissue?" he asked Crickee.

"Mulan's a hero! Mulan's a hero, kupo!" cheered the excited Mog.

"Mulan, we could use a woman of your courage within my council," the Emperor offered.

Mulan smiled at his offer and bowed. "With all due respect, your Excellency, I am honored by your offer," said Mulan, "But I have been away from home for so long."

"Then take this," the Emperor requested, taking off his pendant, "So your family will know what you have done for me." The Emperor then presented the Sword of Shan Yu to Mulan. "And this, so the world will know what you have done for China."

Mulan was about to take the Sword of Shan Yu, when suddenly, the sword flashed in light energy, startling the Emperor and Mulan, as well as everyone else. The sword then levitated into the air.

Sora knew what this meant. Kairi looked at the glowing sword in surprise. She began to wonder if this was what they were waiting for. Sora turned to her and nodded. This was it. Sora drew his Keyblade and prepared for what was about to happen. The glowing sword emitted a stream of light into the air, revealing the reason why Sora and his party came into this world in the first place. Sora pointed his Keyblade towards the Keyhole, where his Keyblade emitted a stream of light towards the Keyhole.

The Keyhole made a locking sound. As soon as the Keyhole disappeared, a small object appeared out of the Keyhole and down in Sora's hand. With the Heart Fragment in his hand, Sora walked towards Kairi and presented her Heart Fragment to her. The Heart Fragment began to hover off of Sora's hand and slowly hovered to Kairi.

Kairi was a bit frightened at first, but she knew this was the only way for her memories to come back. Soon enough, her Heart Fragment began to merge into her body, making her gasp at the sudden return of heart and memory. Then, the young princess began to recall her memory.

* * *

_Little Kairi was in a dining room with her brother and Zenrei. Around the table, there were lots of wonderful food and desserts scattered around._

_"Happy birthday, Princess Kairi!" Zenrei said happily._

_"Thank you, Sir Zenrei!" replied Little Kairi._

_"Don't expect too much because we don't have enough food for a certain Big Mouth," Taikai teased._

_"I don't eat that much!" Little Kairi retorted, shaking her fist at him._

_"Trust me, I think you do," Taikai continued to tease._

_"You're so rude, Taikai," said the Little Princess, "I don't eat that much, okay!?"_

_"Yeah, right…" scoffed Taikai._

_"Now, now, Prince," Zenrei said, "Well then, why don't we all enjoy this wonderful food. The chef said that today's baked goods are his finest work."_

_"And he also put a lot of effort into it, since it's your birthday," Taikai added._

_"Really?" asked the excited Little Kairi, "I really love his bakery! They are really good!" Little Kairi then turned to her left. "Um, I want to thank you for coming today," Little Kairi said to someone on her left, "I…I'm really, really happy to spend my birthday with you……………," Little Kairi said, smiling sweetly to someone beside her._

_The strangest part was that she never noticed there was an empty seat next to her. Yet, Little Kairi continued to smile at the empty seat._

* * *

Tears leaked in Kairi's eyes when she saw her memory. "Why……isn't here anyone there?" Kairi asked to herself in sorrow. 

Kairi slowly began to slip into unconsciousness and slowly fell back. Sora gently caught her and cradled her, allowing her to sleep. Kairi was emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted from getting back one of her Heart Fragments. "We…retrieved…another Fragment," Sora quietly informed Kairi.

* * *

Elsewhere, Xemnas quietly watched the group recover Kairi's Fragment in Mulan's world. He remembered how the group managed to unite in Traverse Town. Zenrei sent Sora and Kairi to that world. Riku traveled alone to meet Lulu. Donald used his magic to transport himself, Goofy, and Pluto to Traverse Town. 

"The ones who have the power to travel to different worlds are all here," Xemnas noted to himself, "However, deep beneath the islands of Destiny Island lies a mysterious power, which surpasses the rest. Little by little, the power to change the worlds is being uncovered. I have been trying to obtain that power all this time." Xemnas then held his hand out towards the viewing image, as if he was holding the image in his hand. Xemnas then held a fist towards the image, wanting to grasp whatever he was aiming for. "That power will eventually be mine."

* * *

Larxene then entered a chamber, where a mysterious young teenager continued to sleep in a water tube. "You are not ready for your role, yet," Larxene said to the sleeping teenager, "However…I don't know if it is all right for you to awaken."

* * *

Back on Mulan's world, Kairi finally awakened from her slumber. Mulan stood with Shang and the Emperor. Sora and his party knew that it was time. 

"Thank you for everything, Mulan," said Sora.

"Do you really have to go?" Mulan asked.

Mog began to glow in a brilliant light. "Mog Moogle is to go! Kupo!!" Mog howled. Mog then sprouted his wings of light, emitting a magic light around the party.

"You all just got here," said Mulan.

"We'd like to stay long, but we still have our mission to complete," Goofy explained.

"We still have to look for our King!" Donald exclaimed.

"I wish you good fortune, young ones," the Emperor spoke.

"Good luck to you, soldiers," said Shang.

"Please take care, Mulan," Kairi said, smiling to her new friend.

The light energy began to slowly engulf the party, giving the party a few more seconds to see Mulan and everyone else one last time until they disappeared.

"Sora, Kairi, I know I'll see you two again," Mulan thought to herself, "I promise." Mulan then looked up in the sky, where peace once again reigned over China. "Thank you, everyone."

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	7. Kairi's Smile

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - Past_

**Bold - Voice**

* * *

Sora and his party continued through a time and space dimension, onward towards their unknown destination. Fortunately, Sora was able to retrieve one of Kairi's Heart Fragments. Things were certainly looking up for the young teenage boy. Kairi was even happy to have one of her Heart Fragments back.

After traveling through the time and space dimension, the party finally made their stop.

"We've arrived in a new world, kupo!" Mog happily announced.

The party looked around the place. They arrived in some mysterious woods. It doesn't look like there is anyone around the place. Was this a safe place?

"Gee, Donald, I wonder if the King is here?" pondered Goofy.

"I don't know, but we should start looking," informed Donald.

"This doesn't look like my world," Riku commented.

"This is…" Sora looked off at a particular part of the woods. The party was surprised to find a gigantic lake in the middle of the woods. This lake looked so peaceful.

* * *

**_Chapter 3: Kairi's Smile_**

* * *

"What kind world did we arrive at?" asked Goofy.

"This lake is pretty big," Riku noted, "It doesn't look like there are any house around. I don't see anyone around, either. Hey, Mog, any sign of the Princess's Fragment?"

Mog perked up from Riku's left shoulder. "I do feel a strong energy, kupo!" Mog said.

"Where is it?" asked Sora.

Mog jumped down from Riku's left shoulder and pointed downwards in the lake. "It's in there!"

"We have to jump in there?" Donald asked.

"Jump in! Jump in, kupo!" cheered Mog.

"Don't worry about it," Sora said, stepping forward, "I'll go in and look for it."

The party was surprised at Sora's sudden decision. The party worried that there might be something dangerous lurking within the lake, but Sora showed no fear.

"Sora…" Kairi said in surprise.

"I'll be right back, Princess Kairi," Sora promised.

Kairi smiled in relief. "Okay," she replied.

Sora removed his socks and shoes before the young teenager dove into the lake.

* * *

Sora was a natural good swimmer. His days living on Destiny Island gave him the benefit of swimming. Sora swam under water looking carefully around for any signs of Kairi's Heart Fragments. He made sure to survey almost every area he swims to, even going down deeper and deeper. Sora also made sure there were no creatures lurking about that may jump up and attack him.

* * *

Back on the surface, Kairi waited patiently at a campfire. Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Mog walked around the forest to see if there were any signs of life. Not only were they looking for any civilians, Donald and Goofy also walked around the forest to see if their King was around.

Even though Kairi waited patiently for Sora, she couldn't help but worry about Sora's safety. As if on cue, something rose from the lake, making Kairi turn her attention towards the lake. To her relief, she found Sora returning from the lake.

"Sora…" Kairi smiled in relief.

"Sorry I took so long, Princess," Sora said.

Kairi shook her head in reassurance. "It's okay," said Kairi, "Have you found anything?"

"Not yet," replied Sora, "I'm just going to take a break before I go in."

Kairi nodded in agreement. Sora then took a seat next to the Princess, in order to keep her company. Sora sat close to the campfire in order to dry himself off and to keep himself warm.

"When I got my last Fragment back, I saw parts of my memory," Kairi informed. She caught Sora's attention. "In my memory, I saw my older brother, Taikai, who is the king of my kingdom, and the high priest, Sir Zenrei," she explained, "Taikai was still a prince that time, and my grandfather was still the king. It was my birthday, and everyone was throwing me a party." Sora was surprised about Kairi's returned memory. He remembered what happened on this day. "But, during my birthday, there was an empty chair, and no one was sitting there."

* * *

_"I…I'm really, really happy to spend my birthday with you……………" Little Kairi said, smiling sweetly to an empty seat beside her._

* * *

"Yet, for some reason, I was talking to the chair," Kairi said, smiling softly.

Sora knew who was supposed to be in that chair. Once again, he was reminded of the sacrifice that he made to save Kairi.

* * *

_Sora sat at the dining table with Taikai, Zenrei, and Kairi. He was so nervous about making mistakes during Kairi's birthday._

_"I…I'm really, really happy to spend my birthday with you, Sora," Kairi said, smiling sweetly at him._

* * *

"It's strange, isn't it?" Kairi pondered, "No one was there, and yet…I knew I was really happy."

Despite the fact that Kairi didn't know that Sora was there, he was happy to the fact that she at least got one of her happy memories back.

As Sora began to stare into the campfire with his friend, he began to reminisce about his past memories with his childhood friend.

* * *

_Little Sora hand his hands wrapped in bandages and he sat all alone in the rain, with no one to stop by and care for him. Little Sora sat against a palm tree as his only shelter for the unforgiving rain._

* * *

_Sora and Kairi were all alone in the Grand Hallway of her palace._

_"Hey, Sora, do you remember when your birthday is?" Little Kairi asked out of curiosity._

_"I don't remember," Little Sora replied in a mellow tone, "Not too long ago, Konsetsu found and adopted me. I don't remember anything about my past before that. I don't remember when my real birthday is at all."_

_"Then, how about I choose a birthday for you?" she offered happily, "Your birthday will be the first of April, just like mine! That way, we can always celebrate our birthdays together!"_

_Little Sora was surprised at Little Kairi giving him the same birthday as hers._

_Little Kairi then took Little Sora's hands in hers. "Even if you don't remember anything about your past, I'll always remember everything about us from now on!" Little Kairi said happily. Little Kairi gave Sora a sweet smile. Little Sora hardly showed any happiness, or any emotions for that matter. Yet, Kairi's sweet smile touched something in Little Sora's heart. There was something about that smile that affected Little Sora._

_"Let's celebrate our birthdays every year, and we'll make lots and lots of wonderful memories together!" Little Kairi said to her friend._

* * *

_Later that evening, Konsetsu was putting away some of his books away. Little Sora came back to their house with a basketful of goodies in his arms._

_"I'm home," Little Sora announced._

_"Ah, welcome home, Sora," Konsetsu greeted._

_"I have something for you Konse—" Little Sora paused before he called his adoptive father by his real name, "I mean, Father," Little Sora informed, present his father a basket._

_"Thank you," Konsetsu said as he took the basket from Sora's arms, "Did you enjoy the birthday party?"_

_"When I told the Princess that I didn't have any memories from my past, she didn't get scared or pitied me," Little Sora explained, "Then, she gave me my own birthday. She told me it was to be today, the same as hers." Konsetsu was surprised by Little Kairi's actions. They have never known each other that much, yet she has done something so wonderful to the sorrowful Little Sora. "And then…she smiled," Little Sora finished, hinting the fact that he was so emotional about Little Kairi's smile._

_Konsetsu pulled his adoptive son into a full embrace. Konsetsu smiled sadly in happiness. He knew his adoptive son had a bad life. He felt joy to the fact that the Princess of Destiny Island was the first one to touch his son's heart._

_"The Princess's smile…" Little Sora was so overcome with emotion that tears began to leak from his eyes. "…it was…so warm…" Little Sora gave in to his emotions and silently wept in his father's shoulder._

* * *

_Later that evening, everything was back to normal. Konsetsu continued his studies of ancient discoveries in history books on his study desk. Little Sora, in his regained composure, sat on his bed, reading one of his father's encyclopedias. Little Sora had his eyes on ancient architectures and artifacts. Konsetsu turned around and saw his son reading one of his encyclopedias._

_"Have you taken an interest in archeology?" Konsetsu asked._

_"Yeah," Little Sora answered calmly._

_"Believing in what you see isn't always true," Konsetsu lectured, "There are so many mysteries around the world just waiting to be discovered by people. I am truly happy when I discover those mysteries."_

_Little Sora was astonished by his father's lecture. It all makes sense to him._

_"Someday, Sora, you will find something that will make you truly happy, even if you unsure about it," said Konsetsu, "You will find it, I promise."_

_Little Sora really wanted that day to come. Ever since he was adopted, he wanted to find true happiness._

* * *

Sora silently watched the evening campfire with Kairi. Suddenly, Kairi's attention was caught by an unusual sighting.

"Sora, look," Kairi said, pointing at the lake.

Sora looked at the lake and was surprised at what he saw. The lake began to glow in a mysterious light, as if there was a sun down there. Or could this be another one of Kairi's Heart Fragments?

Sora stepped up to the edge of the land for a closer look. The ripples in the water made it difficult for Sora to have a clear visual of what was happening down there.

"Sora…" Kairi called out in worry.

"I'll be right back, Princess," Sora notified, "Please wait here." Sora dove back into the lake again to see what was happening, leaving Kairi alone at the campsite.

* * *

Riku and the others have not made it back yet, and the mysterious light began to glow brighter and brighter by the minute. Though Sora was unsure about the mysterious light, it gave Sora an advantage to see in dark places that Sora hadn't gone through.

* * *

Kairi continued to wait for Sora's return. The longer Sora stayed in the lake, the more worrisome the Princess would get. Kairi then heard the sound of something coming out of the water.

"Sora, you're back," Kairi said in relief.

However, what frightened Kairi was what really came out of the water. A gigantic glowing fish stared directly at the frightened Kairi. Kairi was amazed by its presence. Then, suddenly, she began to hear a mysterious female voice.

**Why are you here? What is your reason for being here?**

"I…" Kairi hesitated in her answer. Did she even have a reason for being in that world?

The gigantic fish awaited the Princess's answer, to no avail.

"I…" Kairi continued to hesitate in her answer, "…I…" Suddenly, Kairi felt her knees getting weaker and weaker, until she fell to the ground on her knees. She suddenly felt her body getting weaker and weaker. "…I…I………am…" Kairi said weakly, until she closed her eyes.

* * *

_Little Kairi ran through the hallways, finally entering the Grand Hall._

_"Grandfather!" Little Kairi called out._

_Kairi's grandfather, Ansem the Wise, waited in the Grand Hall. He turned around and found his granddaughter coming in. "Ah, Princess Kairi," Ansem said smiling._

_Little Kairi ran to her grandfather's side, where she also found someone next to him. "Oh, I didn't know we had a visitor," said Little Kairi._

_Konsetsu knelt to the ground, meeting Little Kairi's eyes. "It's nice to meet you, Princess," greeted Konsetsu._

_"It's nice to meet you, too," Little Kairi greeted back._

_"I'd like to introduce you to someone," said Konsetsu, "This is my son." Konsetsu presented a boy, hiding in the shadows._

_Little Kairi gazed at the familiar figure. This familiar figure's face was blocked off from the shadow of the pillar he stood next to. However, Little Kairi smiled at the mysterious boy. "We're about the same age, right?" Kairi asked excitedly._

_"Would you like to be his friend?" Konsetsu offered._

_"Sure!" said the happy Little Kairi._

_"My son has gone through a very rough life, yet he doesn't know what it was like," Konsetsu explained to the Princess._

_Then, Little Kairi watched Konsetsu leave for home with her new, yet unknown friend._

_Ansem the Wise knelt down to Little Kairi to meet eye level. "Konsetsu adopted the boy, and his life seems to be changing for the better," Ansem explained to his granddaughter, "However, parts of his heart still remain frozen. What the boy needs most is a warm comfort that will melt the ice surrounding his heart. For instance," Ansem placed his hands on his granddaughters shoulders, "…he needs a warm smile that is as kind as a sunflower in the spring."_

_Little Kairi smiled at what her grandfather said. She immediately liked the idea. She really wanted to smile for this familiar boy._

* * *

"Who…is that boy?" Kairi asked herself weakly. The sight of the shadowy, familiar boy flashed through her mind, making herself continue to wonder who the boy was. The Princess then suddenly fell to the ground, unconscious.

The gigantic fish left the unconscious Princess, and the lake ceased to glow.

* * *

Sora continued to swim underwater, looking for any signs of Kairi's Heart Fragments. Now that the light was gone, Sora had difficulty looking around. However, despite the light being gone, Sora found something at the bottom of the lake.

Sora swam further towards the bottom of the lake to investigate this strange discovery. While the young teenager swam towards the bottom, Sora noticed a large presence behind him. He saw a gigantic fish stop behind him, and it began to glow in a mysterious light. There was something about this light that caught Sora's attention. Then, it finally made him realize its true purpose…

* * *

Meanwhile, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Mog continued their walk around the forest, looking for any signs of life.

"It's getting late," Riku noted, "We should probably head back."

"We couldn't even find the King anywhere," Goofy added in.

"Yeah, it's getting dark, too," Donald shuddered.

"It doesn't look like anyone is around," Goofy noted, "No houses or anything. And the King's probably not here, too." Goofy sighed in disappointment.

"Sorry that you guys couldn't find your King," Riku said to Goofy and Donald.

"Where are you, Your Majesty?" Donald called out sadly.

"Cheer up, Donald. You'll find your King one day," Riku encouraged.

"Donald is happy to hear that, kupo!" Donald said happily…or did he?

"Mog, GET out of my shirt, now!!" Donald yelled at Mog, who was hiding in his shirt.

Mog jumped out of Donald's shirt and hopped onto Riku's hands. "Hehe, Donald Duck is mad, kupo!" Mog happily announced, "It was a good joke, too, kupo!"

"You sounded just like Donald, too, Mog," Riku commented, chuckling.

"That's one of Mog's 108 secret techniques," Mog explained.

"Oh? What are the other 107?" Goofy asked curiously.

"That's a se-cr-et, kupo!" giggled Mog.

"Now you're leaving me hanging, Mog," Riku laughed, with Mog joining in laughter.

"I've had enough, I'm going back," Donald grumbled, walking away from Riku and Mog.

"Wait for me, Donald," Goofy called out, running towards Donald, followed by Riku and Mog.

* * *

Sora returned to the surface. Again, he found nothing in the lake. When he returned to the surface, he found Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Mog gathering around something.

"Sora, come quick, kupo!" Mog yelled in distress, jumping up and down, "Something's happened to Kairi!"

Sora quickly got out of the lake and ran towards the unconscious Kairi. "What's wrong!?" Sora asked in distress.

"Kairi is slee—ping, kupo!" Mog revealed happily. Sora immediately stopped in his tracks. The young teenager sighed in relief to hear that it was just a false alarm. Sora then walked up to the sleeping Kairi to check up on her. "Did Mog get you? Did Mog get you, kupo?" Mog asked excitedly, "That's another one of Mog's 108 secret techniques: Awesome acting skills, kupo!"

"Man, don't scare me like that, Mog," Sora sighed.

"Hehe, sorry, kupo!" giggled Mog.

"You must have been scared," noticed Riku.

"Yeah, it did scare me," replied Sora.

"Kairi is not exactly 100 percent and there's bound to be more obstacles in the near future," explained Riku, "But you're still going to keep looking for Kairi's Heart Fragments, right?"

"Yeah…" Sora nodded.

"You should take it easy, Sora," Goofy advised, "You don't have to think about the hardships. It's not easy to forget them, even if you wanted to."

"No one is going say anything about you smiling or having some fun," Riku told Sora.

"Riku's right," Goofy said, "You might make other people happy, too."

Mog came up on Sora's shoulder and lightly poked Sora in the cheek. "It makes Mog happy whenever Mog sees Sora happy, kupo!" Mog said smiling, causing Sora to smile back.

"Me, too," said Goofy.

"Remember what I said, Sora?" asked Donald, "This journey is for happy faces only!"

"Hey, I think she's waking up," Riku notified the group.

Kairi began to come around. She slowly opened her eyes and she found herself in the same campsite. Kairi tried to recollect on what was the last thing she remembered. She remembered seeing a glowing fish, she had a recollection of her memories, and she waited patiently for Sora. That's when it hit her!

"I have to go, too!" Kairi said in distress. Kairi immediately shot up from the ground and ran towards the lake.

"Princess! Princess, wait!" Sora called out.

Kairi immediately stopped in her tracks with only one foot in the water.

"What's wrong, Princess?" asked the concerned Sora.

Kairi turned around to see the group looking at her out of concern. The Princess sighed in relief to see Sora safe. "I thought you were still in the lake looking for the Fragment, Sora," Kairi explained her distress. Kairi burst out in laughter. Kairi felt silly for her assumption.

"Sorry to worry you, Princess," Sora said, smiling.

"It's okay, Sora," Kairi replied, smiling back at her friend.

"Well, we're going to walk around some more," Riku notified Sora and Kairi.

"We'll be back soon," Goofy announced before departing with Riku, Donald, Pluto, and Mog.

Sora then walked to the edge of land where Kairi was. The young teenager offered the Princess a hand.

"Let's go," Sora said, offering her his hand.

"What is it?" asked Kairi.

"There's something I want to show you, Princess," Sora answered.

Kairi was surprised on what Sora was offering her. The Princess smiled softly and nodded in agreement. Somehow, Kairi knew this might be fun. Kairi removed her shoes and socks and placed her hand in Sora's. Then, the two entered the lake together.

* * *

Sora and Kairi swam underwater water together, hand in hand. In Kairi's eyes, the entire view under the lake was a pleasant sight. While underwater, Sora pointed behind them, making the young Princess looking behind them. There, they saw a school of fish swimming across. Kairi enjoyed the beautiful sight. In Sora's eyes, it reminded him of when he and Kairi spent one of their days together.

* * *

_Little Sora and Little Kairi stood on a tower of Kairi's palace. There, they watched a flock of doves flying about. It was a beautiful sight to behold._

_"It's beautiful, isn't it?" asked Little Kairi, "I wanted to show this to you, Sora."_

_Little Sora was amazed by this beautiful sight. He then looked at the little Princess for a while. Then, for the first time in his life, Little Sora smiled for the Princess. "Thank you, Princess," Little Sora said, smiling._

_Little Kairi smiled in amazement when she saw Little Sora smile. "Yay! You're smiling, Sora!" Little Kairi yelled in joy._

_Little Kairi took Little Sora's hands and twirled around in happiness, laughing in joy. Soon enough, Little Sora joined in laughter with his newfound friend._

* * *

While swimming underwater, the two young teenagers saw the same gigantic fish come into view. Kairi moved closer to Sora, out of fear. She was still scared of the creature. However, Sora reassured her. Sora showed her that it was safe. The gigantic fish began to glow in the same illuminated fashion. What amazed Kairi was how bright it was glowing. The light was as brilliant and as radiant as the sun itself.

With the gigantic fish illuminated, Sora squeezed the Princess's hand gently, grabbing her attention. Sora pointed in their direction. Kairi looked at the bottom of the lake and smiled in amazement at the next beautiful sight.

Before the two young teenagers was a miniature city, surrounded by a protective dome. Sora and Kairi knelt down on the lake ground in front of the city, with Sora pointing around the city, showing his friend some beautiful sights of the city, which continued to make Kairi smile in amazement. What impressed Kairi was because of the illuminated fish, the city looked like it was in full daylight. When the fish ceased its illumination, the city looked like it went to nightfall.

Sora and Kairi began to swim upwards, hand in hand, where the gigantic fish confronted the young teenagers.

**Why are you here? What is your reason for being here?**

"I'm here…because…" Kairi thought to herself. Kairi thought of the answer and looked at Sora. Sora wondered what Kairi was thinking. The Princess didn't need to think of an answer. She knew why she was in this world. "I'm here…because…" Kairi thought to herself, smiling because she knew why she was there.

Sora is her reason for being there.

The gigantic fish, seemingly getting the message, swam away from the two teenagers, leaving behind one of its scales as a memento for the two.

* * *

Sora and Kairi returned to the surface, with the fish's scale on the ground for Riku and the others to see.

"Are you saying there's a city at the bottom of the lake?" asked Donald.

"Yeah," Sora answered.

"It was a very small kingdom," Kairi described.

"I get it now," Riku realized, "That shining fish you saw is supposed to be that kingdom's sun."

"So, let me get this straight. You're saying that there city is about this small," Goofy asked, measuring with his hands, "…with people that are about this small?" Goofy asked again, measuring with his fingers, "That's kind of hard to believe."

"Believing in what you see isn't always true," Sora lectured to the group, "There are so many mysteries around the world just waiting to be discovered by people."

"I don't fully understand it myself, but I think I know what you mean," said Donald.

Mog approached the shining scale. "So the strong power Mog felt was coming from this," Mog said, pouting.

"So the Princess's Fragment is not here?" Sora asked Mog.

"This is the only strong power Mog can feel, kupo," Mog informed.

"So the Princess's feather wasn't here in the first place," Riku sighed in defeat.

"Aw, I can't believe we were here for nothing!" Donald complained.

"But it looks like you two had fun," Riku noticed.

"Yeah, because the Princess and I made a new discovery together," said Sora. Sora smiled at Kairi, who, in turn, smiled back at Sora.

"You know what, Princess?" Goofy began, "I don't know what will happen to the rest of this journey in the future, and I know you're worried because all your memories haven't returned yet. But don't you think it would be great if we all had fun on this journey? It's not everyday people like us meet each other."

"I agree, Goofy," Kairi said, smiling at the idea of having a fun journey, "I know there is still much to understand, and I know I might cause everyone some trouble, but I'll try my best to help everyone," Kairi said to the group, "I'm happy to be in your company, everyone."

* * *

_Sora and Kairi watched the flying doves together on the same palace tower when they were kids._

_"I know I can't do so much yet, but I want to try my best to help," Kairi said, looking at the flying doves, "If I don't do anything, nothing will ever change. Whether it's small or even just taking small steps, because that will connect our hearts." Kairi still kept her warm smile, ever since Sora and Kairi became very close friends._

* * *

"You never change, Kairi," Sora thought to himself, smiling, "You were always such a warm person."

Despite the group going away empty handed, they gained a valuable lesson in their journey. They should always be happy together and learn to have fun in their hard journey.

With nothing else to do in this world, Sora and his party gathered their things.

Mog began to glow in a brilliant light. "Mog Moogle is good to go! Kupo!!" Mog howled. Mog then sprouted his wings of light, emitting magic light around the party. The light energy began to engulf the party until they disappeared.

* * *

The party traveled through the time and space dimension, heading towards their unknown destination. But this time, they will head towards their destination with smiles on their faces.

Sora noticed that Kairi was smiling. She was really enjoying this journey, despite any obstacles they're sure to run into.

"Kairi's smile was really warm," Sora thought to himself, "Every time I look at that smile, my heart feels very warm. I wish Kairi could just keep smiling forever."

* * *

_**To be continued…** _


	8. The Man in the Tower

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

In this next world, Sora and his friends were in a medieval European world. Sora and his friends were eating at a table. While Sora and the others were eating, they were getting a lot of people staring at them.

"We're sure getting a lot of attention," commented Riku.

"Um, Riku?" Sora spoke up.

"What's up, Sora?" asked Riku.

"Is this even okay? This mean, I mean. We don't have any money to pay for all of this," Sora reasoned out.

"That's okay," Riku assured, "That's why we have 'the gods' favorite daughter,'" Riku said, indicating Kairi, who was playing cards at another table against some men.

Kairi was not sure how to play this kind of card game. She only looked at her cards, not sure how she was supposed to win.

"A full house!" the man triumphantly announced, "How's your cards, little girl?"

"Um, is it like this?" asked the hesitant Princess. Kairi laid out her cards, which showed the luckiest, and the most amazing hand of them all. Much to the card players' surprise, including Sora, Kairi held out four aces and a joker, which served as a wild card.

"Kairi really is 'the gods' favorite daughter,'" Sora thought to himself, while holding a surprised look on his face.

"That's the Princess for you," Riku told Sora, "Good luck 24/7."

"What!?" the man yelled in an outrage, "How could you win every single game!? What's going on!?"

"Are you cheating!?" the second man demanded.

Riku began placing the well-earned money in a bag. "Why would we cheat?" Riku asked the card players, "We don't have time for that."

The card players slumped down in defeat. They had given up on trying to beat Kairi.

* * *

**_Chapter 8: The Man in the Tower_**

* * *

"Nice job, Princess," Goofy commended to Kairi.

"Yeah, now we don't have to worry about our money problems," said Donald.

A waiter came towards the groups' table and served them drinks. "You're pretty good, little girl," the waiter commented.

"I didn't even know the rules to the game," Kairi admitted, "Is that okay?"

"You've got to be kidding!" the waiter laughed, "You guys are new, right? Are you tourists or something?"

"Yeah, we're looking for something, so we've been traveling around," explained Sora.

"Any ideas on where to go?" asked the waiter.

"Not yet," replied Sora.

"Well, a word of advice, boy. Whatever you do, don't go North," advised the waiter.

"Why not?" asked Donald.

"There's been a really scary rumor running about in that place," the waiter told the group.

This rumor immediately caught Sora's attention. "What kind of rumor?"

"There's been a rumor that there is a mysterious man who appeared in that place," the waiter began, "Except that he wasn't a man. He was a demon. He may look like a man, but it seems that the devil has transformed him, somehow. In that demon's possession, they say that he holds a magical object that will grant him mysterious powers."

"By any chance, is this just a legend?" Riku asked with interest.

"With the way other people were talking about it, I don't think so," the waiter asked, shaking his head.

"Then that means that this demon might be real," Sora commented.

"This rumor only started a few years back, though," the waiter explained further.

"But, because of this rumor, we shouldn't be going to the Northern part of this town?" asked Goofy.

"If I were you, I wouldn't walk there," the waiter cautioned.

* * *

The group began walking around the woods, walking towards their destination.

"…A magical object that grants him mysterious powers," Riku pondered, "That sounds pretty close to the Princess's Fragment."

"Mog doesn't feel any strong powers, kupo!" Mog informed the group, with Kairi holding him in her arms.

"Still, we should check it out anyway," Sora told the group.

"Sora, look," Kairi said, pointing out towards a sign.

Sora looked at a sign, which hung out outside of the world's city. "Paris," Sora read.

The party then heard some kind of commotion going on. "Sounds like there's something big going on there," Goofy noticed.

"We gotta check it out," Donald informed the group.

The party headed towards to where the source of this big sound was. It sounded like there was indistinct yelling going around.

* * *

The party arrived at the source of the indistinct yelling. To their surprise, they found the entire town having fun. It looked like there was a festival going on.

"Wow! A festival, kupo!" yelled the cheery Mog.

"This looks fun," Kairi said.

"It sure does," responded Sora.

"Hey, Donald," Goofy spoke up, "Do ya think the King might be around here?"

"I don't know," he answered, "But we better start looking around."

"Hey, Mog, can you feel the Fragment's presence?" asked Riku.

Mog concentrated hard, searching for the designated energy. "It's very faint, but it's definitely here, kupo!" said Mog.

Behind the party, Kairi noticed a mysterious figure, wearing a cloak with his face covered, trying to get past the crowd, until he was caught in the line of dancers. This mysterious figure tried to get out of the line of dancers until he ended up crashing into a tent.

Sora turned around and noticed Kairi looking off to where she witnessed a trivial accident. "Is there something wrong, Princess?" asked Sora.

"No, it's nothing," answered Kairi, "I just thought I saw something strange."

"A lot of strange things can happen in festivals, so it's only natural," explained Sora, "Let's go look for you Fragments."

"Okay," replied Kairi.

Sora and Kairi began walking with the party to go look for the missing King and for Kairi's Heart Fragment.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the tent the mysterious figure crashed in, the mysterious figure realized he accidentally crashed inside a dressing tent, where he find a woman getting herself ready for her act, accompanied by her pet goat. He then realized his hood was off and tried to hide his face in fear. He knew how people would react to his horrible disfigurement.

"I…I'm so sorry," Quasimodo stammered.

"Are you okay?" Esmerelda asked, helping up the man.

"I didn't mean to…I'm sorry," Quasimodo said quickly, before putting his hood back on.

"Are you hurt?" asked the concerned gypsy, "Let me take a look at you."

Quasimodo tried to back away from her, but was unsuccessful. Esmerelda already pulled his hood off to check on his injuries. To Quasimodo's surprise, Esmerelda didn't gasp in fear of his disfigured face. However, Djali, Esmerelda's pet goat, sneered at the sight.

"No harm done," said Esmerelda, "Just be a little more careful, okay?"

"Oh, um, uh, sure," Quasimodo said, heading out the tent.

"By the way, great mask!" Esmerelda said, smiling at him. Little did Esmerelda know, there more to that "mask" Quasimodo was wearing.

* * *

Sora and his party continued walking around the festival. Most of the people were making some performances for the people of Paris. Sora and Kairi observed a man who was chugging down wine while holding a torch in one hand. With the wine in his mouth, the man blew the wine into the torch, turning the lit torch into a big flame. The flame was only halfway close to Sora and Kairi, but the big burst of the flame made the Princess gasp in fear and she turned away into Sora's arms.

"Are you okay, Princess?" asked Sora.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It just startled me," replied the Princess.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Donald notified the group, pointing to where he saw a jester.

The party turned their attention to a masked jester on a stage.

"Hurry, hurry, here's your chance!" Clopin announced, "See the mystery and romance! Come one! Come all! See the finest girl in France make an entrance to entrance! Dance La Esmerelda…dance!"

At the last word, Clopin disappears in a puff of smoke, a gypsy, Esmerelda, appears in his place, performing a sultry dance in front of the crowd. The crowd was pleased to see her dance, all but one man, Judge Claude Frollo.

"What a disgusting display," Frollo muttered to himself.

"I kind of like it…" Phoebus said to himself with interest.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've been waiting for!" announced Clopin, "It's time to crown our King of Fools!"

"The 'King of Fools?'" asked Sora.

Clopin begins pulling contestants onto the stage. Quasimodo, still trying to avoid the crowd, was caught by Esmerelda and pulled onto the stage. One by one, Esmerelda pulls off the contestants' masks, revealing the men making ugly faces and getting themselves booted off the stage. Esmerelda then reached Quasimodo, who tried to keep away from her. His resistance wasn't good enough and Esmerelda tried to take his "mask" off. However, when she tried to remove it, she was shocked know that Quasimodo was not wearing a mask at all. Soon, the crowd began yelling about the revelations.

"That's his real face," Sora said in surprise.

"How terrible," Kairi said with sympathy.

"Is this the demon everyone was talking about?" wondered Riku.

Quasimodo realized that the people were disgusted by him and immediately hides his face in shame. Frollo watched the whole thing and he was not happy with what has transpired.

"Ladies and gentlemen, why the disgusted faces?" Clopin asked the crowd, jumping onto the stage to keep things lively, "I only asked for the ugliest face in Paris, and here he is! Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame!"

Immediately, the crowd began to applaud Quasimodo, and Clopin crowns Quasimodo as the King of Fools. The hunchback began enjoying his time in the spotlight. The people's disgust was immediately washed away as he was "crowned."

"He's ugly, huh?" Guard 2 asked, "Watch this!" The guard took a tomato in hand and threw it at Quasimodo, hitting him right in the face, causing the crowd to go silent. "Now that's ugly!"

"Hail to the King!" Guard 1 yelled, mockingly as he threw another tomato into his face.

Soon, enough the crowd followed the guards and threw all kinds of produce at the defenseless hunchback. Shouts came from all directions and the crowd lassoed Quasimodo. The hunchback was defenseless against their numbers and he was soon tied down to a rotating platform. Quasimodo was spun around on the platform, with the crowd continuing their torment. From the crowd, Quasimodo spotted Frollo watching him.

"Master! Master, please! Help me!" Quasimodo desperately pleaded.

Unfortunately, Frollo only stood there. Not willing to help the hunchback. Phoebus, on the other hand, didn't want to see anymore.

"Sir, please, let me stop this nonsense," requested Phoebus.

"Not yet, Captain," Frollo said calmly, "A lesson needs to be learned."

Sora and his party, on the other hand, were disgusted with the sight.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Donald yelled to the crowd, only to have it fall on deaf ears.

"Yeah, what gives you the right!?" Goofy yelled.

"Sora, please, I can't watch this anymore," Kairi pleaded to Sora.

Sora nodded to the Princess, agreeing to the fact that there was no justice in the crowd's actions. "Mog, Pluto, please take the Princess somewhere safe," requested Sora. Pluto barked in agreement, with Mog riding on Pluto's head, nodding to Sora's request.

Pluto and Mog accompanied Kairi to a safer location, while Sora and the rest took it upon themselves to fix this dirty problem.

"Let's get him out of there," Sora announced to his friends.

"Hold on, Quasi!" Goofy yelled to the hunchback.

Sora and his friends charged through the crowd with their weapons and immediately cut the ropes off of Quasimodo, save for one more rope.

"Cease your actions, you fools!" Frollo demanded to Sora and his party, "Get down at once!"

Esmerelda appeared behind the downed Quasimodo. "Yes, we will, your honor," Esmerelda said, "Just as soon as we free this poor man!" Esmerelda cut the lost rope off with a knife, setting the poor hunchback free.

"How dare you defy me! All of you!" Frollo said in an outrage.

"So what?" Donald shot back, "You're the one picking on this guy. What kind of a man are you?"

"Silence!" Frollo demanded, "You will all pay for your insolence."

"Then we've crowned the wrong fool," Esmerelda challenged, "You're the real fool, Frollo!"

"Arrest them!" Frollo ordered.

The guards began to surround the gypsy and Sora and his party. With their weapons drawn, Sora's party immediately defended themselves against the onslaught of guards, surprising Frollo and Phoebus. The Captain, however, was impressed with Esmerelda's actions against the guards.

"Sorry, you guys, but it's time I made my escape," Esmerelda said to the group.

"No problem, you get out while you can," Riku said.

"Thanks for helping me free that man. He didn't deserve that kind of torment," Esmerelda said. Then, Esmerelda jumped over the group of guards and ran off, losing the guards immediately, much to Frollo's anger.

"Find her! I want her alive!" Frollo angrily ordered. Frollo then turned his attention to Sora and his party, who were completely surrounded by the guards. "As for all of you, I hereby place you under arrest, for defying a judge!"

"No, Frollo!" a man yelled, stepping in between Sora's party and the guards. Judging from the way this man is dressed, he seems to be one of the important figures.

"You…" Frollo recognized the man standing before him.

"You shall not arrest these men," the man said sternly, "How can you arrest them when they have committed no crime against you?"

"They openly defied my orders," Frollo emphasized.

"And they had rights to do so," the man argued. The man began to step forward, challenging Frollo's authority. "You did nothing to help Quasimodo, Judge Frollo. He pleaded for your help, and you just sat there, watching him get tormented by these people. You had a hand in his torment. These men simply set that man free because you failed to use proper judgment. And because of your improper judgment, I can report this to the higher authorities. If word gets to the King, you will truly be seen as the King of Fools."

Frollo hesitated to fight back against this man. He realized that the man was right. Whatever Frollo was going to say wasn't going to help him in his defense. "Guards, search for the gypsy!" Frollo commanded, seeing no other choice but to drop the charges on Sora and his party. Frollo slowly approached Sora and his friends, with a mean look in his eyes. "You and your friends are lucky, but I'll be keeping an eye on all of you." Frollo then gets on his horse begins to ride away, only to stop and glare at a figure who he was angry at. He saw a cowering Quasimodo, hiding behind a pillar, afraid to come out. Frollo glared at the hunchback, showing complete anger towards the poor man.

"I'm sorry, Master," Quasimodo whispered sadly, "I'll never disobey you again." Quasimodo hung his head down in shame and headed inside the Notre Dame Chapel.

The guards dispersed, resuming their search for Esmerelda, as soon as Frollo rode away from the scene. Kairi finally came out of hiding, with Pluto walking with her and Mog safely in her arms. "Are you okay, Sora?" asked the concerned Kairi.

"Yes, I'm okay, Princess," Sora assured.

"Things sure have gone crazy," Goofy noted.

"And we've attracted a lot of attention, kupo!" said Mog.

The man approached Sora's party. "I'm sorry for the trouble you all went through," the man humbly apologized, "I am nobleman of Paris, Count Saix. May I ask your names?"

"My name is Sora," he introduced.

"I'm Kairi," she introduced.

"Donald Duck!" he exclaimed.

"Goofy!" he announced.

"My name is Riku," he introduced, "This is Pluto and Mog."

"Nice to meet you, kupo!" Mog said happily, followed by Pluto's introductory bark.

"I must say, it was very noble of you to set that man free, when no one else would do anything," Saix noted.

"We just thought it was the right thing to do," replied Sora, "Besides…" Sora looked at Kairi. He remembered how Kairi reacted when she saw Quasimodo being tormented. He hated to have her watching something so horrific.

"Still, what you did was very commendable," Saix said, hinting some praise. The group began to notice the clouds gathering, giving way to rain. "We should leave before we catch a cold. Why don't you come with me to my mansion?"

* * *

Saix led Sora and his party to another part of Paris in the nightfall, where they entered a large house, belonging to Count Saix.

As they entered, they saw how nice the entire place was.

Saix made them some tea and invited them to sit near his fireplace.

"As a compensation for what you've done today, I will allow you and your friends to stay in my mansion," offered Saix.

"Thank you for your generosity," said Sora.

"Please allow me to explain everything," Saix said, beginning his explanation, "That man who you just encountered, the official, is Judge Claude Frollo, the minister of justice."

"From the way he acts, he doesn't look like a man of justice," commented Riku.

"I thought the same thing, as well," replied Saix.

"How does Quasimodo and Frollo know each other?" asked Goofy.

"A long time ago, it was said that Frollo found him, abandoned in a snowy winter," Saix began, "When he found him, he began to care for the boy, as if he were his own son, or so I heard. However, I believe those stories are beginning to prove false, by the way you saw what happened."

"Some father figure he is," Donald grumbled.

"Quasimodo lives most of his life in the towers of the Notre Dame Chapel," Saix explained to the group, "Constantly hiding his presence from the world below."

"The demon in the tower…" Sora began to ponder, "We did hear rumors about this demon in the tower. Could it be about Quasimodo?"

"I have been hearing rumors about that as well," Saix answered, "When I started following those rumors, I realized they were all related to Quasimodo. And so, some of the people here claim Quasimodo as the demon of the tower of Notre Dame."

"That's such a sad life," Kairi said, "How could they treat him like this? When I looked at his eyes, they were full of innocence. I could tell that he was a kind person."

"…Princess…" Sora said, surprised by her sincerity.

Saix looked outside and saw how dark the town was tonight. "It seems like it's getting late," Saix noticed, "You should all get some rest. It has been a long day for all of us."

"Yes, it has," Sora said, "Thank you for letting us stay."

"The pleasure is all mine," Saix said with a kind smile. Saix then left the living room area, heading towards his bedroom to call it a night.

"You know what? The way these people spread their rumors, it sounds pretty serious," Riku commented.

"I wonder if the rumors about Quasimodo holding a sacred object in towers are true," Sora wondered. Next to Sora, Kairi gently collapsed onto Sora, resting her head on his shoulder. "Princess? Princess? Are you okay?" Sora asked, checking on Kairi. Much to Sora's relief, Kairi just fell asleep. Today's chaotic event must have taken a toll on Kairi.

Sora gently carried Kairi to her bedroom and gently laid her down, draping a blanket over her body, before Sora and the others went to their own reserved rooms.

In the next morning, Sora and his party will start an investigation of their own.

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	9. Meet Quasimodo

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

**Bold - previous parts in chapter**

* * *

**"There's been a rumor that there is a mysterious man who appeared in that place," the waiter began, "Except that he wasn't a man. He was a demon. He may look like a man, but it seems that the devil has transformed him, somehow. In that demon's possession, they say that he holds a magical object that will grant him mysterious powers."**

**"By any chance, is this just a legend?" Riku asked with interest.**

**"With the way other people were talking about it, I don't think so," the waiter asked, shaking his head.**

* * *

**"…A magical object that grants him mysterious powers," Riku pondered, "That sounds pretty close to the Princess's Fragment."**

**"Mog doesn't feel any strong powers, kupo!" Mog informed the group, with Kairi holding him in her arms.**

**"Still, we should check it out anyway," Sora told the group.**

**"Sora, look," Kairi said, pointing out towards a sign.**

**Sora looked at a sign, which hung out outside of the world's city. "Paris," Sora read.**

* * *

**Clopin begins pulling contestants onto the stage. Quasimodo, still trying to avoid the crowd, was caught by Esmerelda and pulled onto the stage. One by one, Esmerelda pulls off the contestants' masks, revealing the men making ugly faces and getting themselves booted off the stage. Esmerelda then reached Quasimodo, who tried to keep away from her. His resistance wasn't good enough and Esmerelda tried to take his "mask" off. However, when she tried to remove it, she was shocked know that Quasimodo was not wearing a mask at all. Soon, the crowd began yelling about the revelations.**

**"That's his real face," Sora said in surprise.**

**"How terrible," Kairi said with sympathy.**

**"Is this the demon everyone was talking about?" wondered Riku.**

* * *

**Soon, enough the crowd followed the guards and threw all kinds of produce at the defenseless hunchback. Shouts came from all directions and the crowd lassoed Quasimodo. The hunchback was defenseless against their numbers and he was soon tied down to a rotating platform. Quasimodo was spun around on the platform, with the crowd continuing their torment. From the crowd, Quasimodo spotted Frollo watching him.**

**"Master! Master, please! Help me!" Quasimodo desperately pleaded.**

**Unfortunately, Frollo only stood there. Not willing to help the hunchback. Phoebus, on the other hand, didn't want to see anymore.**

**"Sir, please, let me stop this nonsense," requested Phoebus.**

**"Not yet, Captain," Frollo said calmly, "A lesson needs to be learned."**

* * *

**Frollo then turned his attention to Sora and his party, who were completely surrounded by the guards. "As for all of you, I hereby place you under arrest, for defying a judge!"**

**"No, Frollo!" a man yelled, stepping in between Sora's party and the guards. Judging from the way this man is dressed, he seems to be one of the important figures.**

**"You…" Frollo recognized the man standing before him.**

**"You shall not arrest these men," the man said sternly, "How can you arrest them when they have committed no crime against you?"**

**"They openly defied my orders," Frollo emphasized.**

**"And they had rights to do so," the man argued. The man began to step forward, challenging Frollo's authority. "You did nothing to help Quasimodo, Judge Frollo. He pleaded for your help, and you just sat there, watching him get tormented by these people. You had a hand in his torment. These men simply set that man free because you failed to use proper judgment. And because of your improper judgment, I can report this to the higher authorities. If word gets to the King, you will truly be seen as the King of Fools."**

* * *

_**Chapter 9:**__** Meet Quasimodo**_

* * *

In the next morning, Kairi began to stir around. She sat up on the bed and yawned, stretching her arms and her back after a good night's sleep.

"I must've been falling asleep again," Kairi said to herself while rubbing her eyes.

"Yup!" Mog said sleepily, next to Kairi, "It was tiring day yesterday, kupo! Mog had too much fun!"

The Princess could only smile at Mog's cute sleepy behavior. Kairi got off of her bed and went to the window to see how the weather was. The weather looked pretty beautiful today. From a distance, Kairi heard the bells of the Notre Dame Chapel ring, signaling that it was time for prayer. Kairi knew there was only one person who could be ringing that morning bell right now. Because of the events that happened last night, the Princess couldn't help but sympathize for the poor hunchback.

* * *

Kairi went downstairs with the sleeping Mog cradled in her arms. In the living room, she found her friends and Count Saix near the fireplace, drinking their tea.

"Good morning, Princess," Sora greeted politely.

"Good morning, Sora, everyone," responded Kairi.

"Please, have sit down and have some tea," Count Saix offered, gesturing an open seat for her.

"Thank you, sir." Kairi sat down on her chair and accepted her tea from Count Saix. While Kairi drank her tea, she still couldn't help but think about what happened to Quasimodo. She couldn't imagine what kind of life he was living. Her worried look managed to grab Sora's attention.

"Is something wrong, Princess?" asked the concerned Sora.

"Well…" Before the Princess could explain, the party and Count Saix heard a loud knocking on the front door.

"Who could that be?" asked Count Saix.

Count Saix got up from his chair and walked towards the front door of his mansion, followed by Sora and his friends. Count Saix opened his front door, where he found a man, accompanied by some soldiers, who Sora and his friends were in no mood to meet, especially after how he was last night. When Pluto caught the sight of the man, he immediately growled, ready to attack.

"Where is she?" demanded Frollo.

"What are you talking about, Judge Frollo?" questioned Count Saix.

"You know full well who I'm talking about," Frollo answered back, "Where is that gypsy!? Are your newfound friends hiding them!?"

"Judge Frollo, I must ask that you leave the premises," Count Saix commanded firmly, "You are trespassing upon my property and you're doing more harm by harassing my guests. Such an act can give you greater consequences."

"If I find out that you or any of your guests have anything to do with hiding that witch, I'll see to it that you're all at the gallows," Frollo threatened. With that, Frollo turned around and led his men back into the town.

"That man can be quite bothersome," Count Saix sighed.

"Although, it sounds like he takes his job with great pride," commented Riku, "What does he have against gypsies, anyway?"

"That I am not so sure of," replied Count Saix, "No one knows what his true reasons are, but he always sees every gypsies as abominations."

"It's hard to believe that he is Quasimodo's caretaker," said Donald.

"Yes, it is quiet hard to believe," said Count Saix, "I must attend to some business in town. I shall return this afternoon. Please, feel free to walk around town for a while."

"Thank you, Count Saix," Sora said. With that, Count Saix turned and left into the town, leaving Sora and his friends behind.

"So what now?" asked Goofy.

"We still need to look for the King," Donald reminded.

"But so far, there's no trace of him around," noted Goofy.

"And there's also Princess Kairi's Heart Fragment," Riku reminded further, "Didn't those rumors say that Quasimodo had a magical object in his hands?"

"It might be just a rumor, but we should check it out, just to be sure," announced Sora.

* * *

Sora and his friends walked out into town, heading towards the Notre Dame Chapel. While they were walking around, Sora and his friends heard many of the people gossiping about Quasimodo living in the tower. However, these talks were just about bad comments for Quasimodo.

"Did you get a good look at that 'thing?'" asked a bewildered man.

"It's a terrible sight to behold!" exclaimed an astonished gentleman, "To think such a freak exists in this world. Why isn't anyone doing anything about this?"

"I assure you, one day, that monster will come down and attack us, one by one," continued the bewildered man.

Kairi, not feeling comfortable with what they're saying, approached the two men talking about Quasimodo. "Um, I don't think he's such a bad man," Kairi spoke up. Sora and his friends were surprised about the Princess approaching the men, and having the courage to tell them what she thinks.

"What did you say?" the astonished gentleman asked in surprise.

"I could tell from the looks of his eyes," the Princess began, "His eyes were full of innocence. He seemed hurt by what everyone did to him yesterday at the festival. I don't think that man would hurt anyone."

"Hmph! Don't such foolish things, little girl," the gentleman scoffed, "You're just a little girl, you would know nothing!"

Kairi was taken back by the man's reaction. Sora was quick to come between the Princess and the ignorant gentleman.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to," the gentleman said, "Let's be off," he said to his friend. The gentleman and the bewildered man left Sora and his friends behind, ignorant to the fact that he also left Kairi emotionally hurt by his rude attitude.

"That guy's a big palooka!" Donald exclaimed.

"He didn't have to go and say all that!" Goofy noted.

"It goes to show you that they don't support anyone who stands up for Quasimodo," said Riku.

"It was because I said something weird," said the discouraged Kairi.

"Not at all," Sora said, "I believe what you said, Princess."

"Thank you, Sora," Kairi said, smiling out of appreciation of Sora's encouragement.

"Hmm, I think it's best we start with Quasimodo himself," theorized Sora, "There's a chance he might have the Princess's Heart Fragment."

"We saved him yesterday, so we should be on good terms with him," Goofy stated.

"I told you, I didn't eat it!" Donald yelled at Mog, away from the group.

"Well, Mog says you did, kupo!" yelled Mog.

"What's wrong, Mog?" asked Riku.

"Donald ate all the candy Mog bought yesterday, kupo!" Mog told the group, while pointing accusingly at Donald, "Mog was going to send some to Lulu!"

"I didn't eat any of your candy, okay!?" yelled Donald.

"Kyaa, Donald's is mad, kupo! He's scary," Mog cringes playfully.

The group couldn't help but chuckle to themselves about the situation. To them, it was just kind of funny to watch Mog and Donald go at it.

* * *

The group continued their walk around Paris, while avoiding the suspicious eyes of Frollo and his soldiers. Their walk finally came to a stop when they stood in front of the Notre Dame Chapel.

The party entered the Notre Dame Chapel, and to their surprise, the Chapel was huge. They found an altar, where they saw an archdeacon praying silently. The archdeacon turned around and found Sora and his friends standing around, looking at the place.

"Welcome, young ones," the archdeacon greeted, "What business do you have here?"

Sora knew he couldn't lie in a holy place like this, so he had no choice but to tell the truth. "We've come to meet a man named Quasimodo," Sora answered truthfully.

"Ah, so you know of that man," the archdeacon noted, "He is safely up the bell tower right now."

"I see, thank you, sir," said Sora.

"Wait, are you not the ones who helped Quasimodo yesterday?" asked the archdeacon.

"Yup, that's us all right," Goofy stated.

"Ah, then, you are most welcome in the house of God," said the archdeacon, "It was very humble of you to help that poor man."

"We were just glad to help," said Riku.

The party began to walk up the stairs to the bell tower, where Quasimodo was waiting.

* * *

Sora and his friends found a door to the bell tower. Unfortunately…

"It's locked," Sora noted.

"What are we going to do?" asked Kairi.

"Leave it to Mog, kupo!" Mog jumped happily. Mog zipped off to the side, out of the party's line of sight. However, the door to the bell tower began to unlock, and much to the party's surprise, they found Mog opening the door from the inside. "Welcome to the bell tower, kupo!" Mog announced happily.

"How did you get in!?" demanded Donald.

Mog jumped into Riku's hands. "Mog just went around the balcony, kupo!" explained the little creature, "It's one of Mog's 108 secret techniques: super sneaking in!"

Sora and his friends entered the bell tower. Inside the bell tower, they found a bed, which most likely belonged to Quasimodo.

"Quasimodo really does live in this place," Donald commented.

"W-w-who's there?" asked a mysterious voice.

"Quasimodo, is that you?" Riku called out.

"Y-yes, that's m-me," Quasimodo answered.

The party found the hunchback cowering behind a doorway to the balcony.

"It's okay, Quasi, we're your friends," Goofy assured.

"You're…not going to hurt me?" asked the nervous hunchback.

"Don't worry, there's nothing to be afraid of," reassured Sora, "We just came here to talk."

Quasimodo reluctantly came out of his hiding spot, but he wasn't alone. Behind him, the party was surprised to meet the other person that helped Quasimodo escape his torment.

"Oh, you're the one who helped Quasimodo yesterday," Kairi said, surprised to see Esmerelda.

"Yes, I came here to check on Quasimodo, after what happened to him yesterday," said Esmerelda as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, that reminds me, we haven't introduced ourselves," began Riku, "My name is Riku," he introduced, "This is Sora, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Mog, and Princess Kairi."

"It's nice to meet you all," said Esmerelda.

"What are you here for?" asked Quasimodo.

"We came to ask you something about a certain object," Sora answered.

"A certain object?" Quasimodo was wondering what Sora was talking about.

"We've heard rumors that you have some kind of magical object in your possession," Sora explained, "They have been saying that it grants you magical powers."

"I see," Quasimodo understood, "They have been saying all those things, have they? This magical object, what do you want from it?"

Sora wasn't sure if it was right to tell him the truth. Even though they are on good terms with him, he wasn't sure if he would understand the whole truth. However, Kairi took it upon herself to speak up.

"That magical object is something very important to me," the Princess spoke up.

"We're traveling to different worlds trying to gather them," Goofy added in.

"Not to mention looking for the King," Donald added some more.

"I see," said Quasimodo, "I'm sorry to say, but this magical object you're looking for, I don't have it. I'm sorry, everyone."

Sora sighed in disappointment upon hearing the news. "It's okay," Sora assured, "It's not your fault."

Suddenly behind the party, a knight in a brownish-gold armor burst through the door, panting. "Quasimodo, Esmerelda, we've got trouble," panted the exhausted Phoebus.

"What is it?" asked the distressed Esmerelda.

"It's Frollo!" he exclaimed, "He has the entire place surrounded. He's outside right now, waiting to arrest you."

"Oh no! We're busted, kupo!" cried Mog.

"I don't think he's mentioned anyone else," explained Phoebus, "He only mentioned Esmerelda, no one else."

"What are we going to do?" asked the panicky Quasimodo.

"We can't take them all down," stated Sora, "We have to get out of here."

"You're not here to arrest us?" asked Riku.

"After being labeled a 'traitor,' no," replied Phoebus, "This time, he's gone mad. He's threatened to burn every house that even housed a gypsy, innocent or guilty."

"What's with that guy!?" Donald said in an outrage.

Esmerelda was in deep thought about the situation. After a while of thinking, she stepped up. "I'll turn myself in," Esmerelda announced, much to everyone's surprise, "I don't want to endanger Quasimodo anymore. When the soldiers leave, you can all escape," Esmerelda instructed.

Sora and his friends didn't know what to say about her ultimate decision. They watched as Esmerelda stepped out of the Chapel and witnessed the soldiers apprehend her.

"You have nowhere to run now, gypsy," Frollo said in a dark voice, "Take her away! I will have her executed later this evening." Frollo turned to leave the grounds, in order to make preparations for his sadistic execution. Frollo then turned around and looked up at the Chapel, thinking that he felt a presence. His suspicions were immediately dismissed, when he only saw birds settling on the Chapel. Frollo then rode away with his soldiers.

Sora and the other waited for the coast to be clear. Soldiers were still patrolling the area, in case there were other people in league of Esmerelda. The party was going to be stuck there for a while.

* * *

Seeing nothing else to do, Sora went to the hallway of the Chapel to take a look at the architecture. In the hallway, he found Kairi staring at the cross in the altar. Sora then sat next to his friend, to keep her company, but he also noticed a troubled look on her face.

"You don't look well. Is something wrong, Princess?" asked the concerned Sora.

"I still haven't recovered most of my memories yet," Kairi began, "I'm not used to people not believing me." Kairi remembered the man's rude comment when she tried to voice out Quasimodo's innocent heart. It still hurt Kairi emotionally about the way the man reacted to her.

Sora placed a comforting hand on Kairi's, grabbing her attention. "Don't worry, Princess," said Sora, giving her a kind smile, "Because I believe in you."

Kairi was surprised, but touched by Sora's unconditional kindness. This act of kindness made Kairi smile. "Thank you, Sora."

"Hey, Sora, the guards are leaving, kupo!" Mog informed happily.

"That's good to hear," Sora said in relief.

Sora and Kairi met up with their friends, including Quasimodo and Phoebus, back in the tower of the Notre Dame Chapel.

"Let's go back to Count Saix's mansion," Sora instructed the group, "We can figure out what to do from there."

"Good idea," said Riku.

"Um, Sora," Kairi spoke up, "I want to come with you, but I don't want to leave Quasimodo here alone. I want to stay here keep him company for a while."

Sora slightly surprised about Kairi's decision, but he realized it is for the best. Quasimodo needed someone to stay with him for a while, to ease his sadness. "Okay, Princess," Sora nodded, "We'll be back later this evening to check up on you."

"Thank you, Sora," said Kairi, smiling out of appreciation.

"Don't worry, kid," Phoebus spoke up, "I'll look after your friend, too."

"Pluto, take care of the Princess, too, okay?" requested Donald, receiving Pluto's ear-salute.

Sora and his friends left the Chapel, leaving Quasimodo in the Princess's care.

"I hope nothing bad happens to Esmerelda," said the worried hunchback.

Kairi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Quasimodo. I'm sure Esmerelda will be all right," said Kairi, giving Quasimodo a reassuring smile.

Like Sora, Quasimodo was affected with Kairi's kind smile. Quasimodo felt sadness in most of his life, but when he saw Kairi's smile, he felt as if his sadness was almost washed away.

"Yes, you're right, Kairi," said Quasimodo, smiling back.

* * *

Back in Count Saix's mansion, Count Saix was drinking tea with Sora and his friends.

"So, Frollo has finally captured the gypsy he was looking for," said Count Saix, as he sipped his tea.

"According to Phoebus, Frollo was threatening to burn everything that was associated to gypsies," Sora informed.

"That man has gone too far," Saix noted, "I should report him to the right people. They would know what to do."

"They plan to execute Esmerelda later this evening," Goofy told Saix.

"And he calls this 'justice,'" Saix said in disgust, "I don't know what history he has with gypsies, but what he is doing is utter insanity."

"What can we do, kupo?" asked Mog.

"For now, I'm going to report to the higher authorities on Frollo's behavior," Saix announced, "Hopefully, they'll be able to settle this matter. What about all of you?"

"We still have to look for something in this village," Sora informed, "We're not sure where to look anymore."

"I see," said Saix, "I'm not sure if this will help, but I have heard a rumor about Frollo."

"What kind of rumor?" Donald asked.

"I've heard from others that Frollo's real intention for hunting down gypsies is because one of them possesses Kairi's Heart Fragment," Saix explained. Hearing this rumor caught everyone's attention. "At least that's what I heard, I'm not sure if it's true, unfortunately. I must be off to report Frollo. I shall see you later this evening." With that, Saix left the mansion.

"So what's your next move, Sora?" asked Riku.

"I have a plan," answered Sora.

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry if this chapter is lame. I struggled hard on this because I totally forgot how the story was portrayed in Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. Hunchback of Notre Dame isn't exactly my forte. Once again, I apologize for this mess.


	10. True Colors

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

**Bold - previous parts in chapter**

* * *

**"Didn't those rumors say that Quasimodo had a magical object in his hands?"**

**"It might be just a rumor, but we should check it out, just to be sure," announced Sora.**

* * *

**"We've heard rumors that you have some kind of magical object in your possession," Sora explained, "They have been saying that it grants you magical powers."**

**"I see," Quasimodo understood, "They have been saying all those things, have they? This magical object, what do you want from it?"**

**Sora wasn't sure if it was right to tell him the truth. Even though they are on good terms with him, he wasn't sure if he would understand the whole truth. However, Kairi took it upon herself to speak up.**

**"That magical object is something very important to me," the Princess spoke up.**

**"We're traveling to different worlds trying to gather them," Goofy added in.**

* * *

**Esmerelda was in deep thought about the situation. After a while of thinking, she stepped up. "I'll turn myself in," Esmerelda announced, much to everyone's surprise, "I don't want to endanger Quasimodo anymore. When the soldiers leave, you can all escape," Esmerelda instructed.**

**Sora and his friends didn't know what to say about her ultimate decision. They watched as Esmerelda stepped out of the Chapel and witnessed the soldiers apprehend her.**

* * *

**"Let's go back to Count Saix's mansion," Sora instructed the group, "We can figure out what to do from there."**

**"Good idea," said Riku.**

**"Um, Sora," Kairi spoke up, "I want to come with you, but I don't want to leave Quasimodo here alone. I want to stay here keep him company for a while."**

**Sora slightly surprised about Kairi's decision, but he realized it is for the best. Quasimodo needed someone to stay with him for a while, to ease his sadness. "Okay, Princess," Sora nodded, "We'll be back later this evening to check up on you."**

**"Thank you, Sora," said Kairi, smiling out of appreciation.**

* * *

**"I've heard from others that Frollo's real intention for hunting down gypsies is because one of them possesses Kairi's Heart Fragment," Saix explained. Hearing this rumor caught everyone's attention. "At least that's what I heard, I'm not sure if it's true, unfortunately. I must be off to report Frollo. I shall see you later this evening." With that, Saix left the mansion.**

* * *

_**Chapter 9:**__** True Colors  
**_

* * *

Later in the evening, the citizens of Paris were gathered around the central plaza, near the Notre Dame Chapel. Kairi, Pluto, Phoebus, and Quasimodo watched from the towers as the soldiers were gathering some wood, with a wooden pillar in the center of the plaza.

"What are they going to do?" asked Kairi.

"Looks like they're going to do an execution," Phoebus answered.

"No..." Quasimodo said to himself. He knew what this execution was for. He felt powerless to make his next move to save his first true friend.

* * *

Meanwhile, Count Saix was walking around the village of Paris, until he heard a couple of soldiers talking to each other. Saix ignored the soldiers. However...

"Are you serious? Frollo knows where the Heart Fragment is?" asked the excited soldier. Saix's attention was caught upon hearing Heart Fragment and hid behind a house near the talking soldiers.

"Yeah, and with that, he'll be able to get rid of that freak," said the unkind soldier.

"I can hardly wait to look at his face when his time comes," said the excited soldier.

After hearing their conversation, Saix popped out from behind the house and extend his hand towards the soldiers. Before the soldiers could react to Saix's presence, a ball of dark energy emitted from Saix's hand and it shot towards the soldiers, knocking them down and out. "So he's finally found the Fragment," Saix noted.

"Wrong, Count Saix!" exclaimed a voice.

Saix turned around, and much to his surprise, he found Sora, Goofy, and Riku behind him. "What is the meaning of this?" questioned Count Saix.

"You're after the Heart Fragment, aren't you, Count Saix?" Sora interrogated.

"What are you talking about?" Saix asked.

"We had to find out what your true colors were," stated Riku, "And it looks like you just revealed them."

"Then, those soldiers..." Saix realized what was going on. He turned around to see the down soldiers, and much to his surprise, he found hidden wires attached to the clothing and armor. He traced the wires to a tree above him, where he found Mog was using puppetry.

"This is one of Mog's 108 secret techniques: excellent puppetry, kupo!" Mog said happily.

"Good job, Mog," Riku praised.

"Those powers you used, they're dark powers, aren't they?" Sora noticed the color of the dark energy Saix created on Mog's puppets. "I'm pretty sure no one in this world can use the power of darkness like the way you use it, not even Frollo," Sora noted.

"I could have used my powers to stop the soldiers from hurting Quasimodo, if Frollo had the Fragment in his possession," Saix calmly argued, "Even in Frollo's hands, he wouldn't know what kind of power the Heart Fragment possesses. It would be like a gun in a child's hands."

"That's another thing, Count Saix," began Sora, "The thing about the Heart Fragment..."

* * *

_"I've heard from others that Frollo's real intention for hunting down gypsies is because one of them possesses Kairi's Heart Fragment," Saix explained. Hearing this rumor caught everyone's attention. "At least that's what I heard, I'm not sure if it's true, unfortunately. I must be off to report Frollo. I shall see you later this evening." With that, Saix left the mansion._

* * *

Sora stepped up towards Saix, as if he were challenging him. "No one said anything about it, but you have known all along that the Heart Fragment belongs to the Princess." Sora knew that Saix was up to something and he drew his Keyblade at the hand, followed by Goofy and Riku drawing their weapons. "What do you want with the Fragment? And not only that, who told you about it?"

Saix was silent for a while, but soon, that silence was dissolved with an evil laughter from the Count. "You're very perceptive, Sora," Saix lightly praised, "It seems I underestimated you. Yes, I am after the Heart Fragment. I could care less what Frollo has in store for this world, not to mention the fate of Quasimodo and his gypsy friend." Sora and his friends got themselves into their fighting positions, ready to attack the deceptive Saix. "Unfortunately, I have no time to deal with any of you," said Saix, "But I have some friends to keep you company." With a snap of his finger, a group of Heartless appeared before Sora and his friends.

"Heartless!" Sora said in surprise.

"So they're here, too," Goofy noted.

While Sora and his friends fought off against the Heartless fiends, Saix took the opportunity to disappear into a dark portal he himself had opened. After making quick work of the Heartless, Sora and his friends looked around, only to see that Saix had escaped their grasp.

"We have to head back," Sora informed the group, "The Princess is in danger."

"Not to mention Quasimodo and Esmerelda," Riku added.

Sora and his friends knew where Saix's next move was going to be and they quickly made haste towards the Notre Dame Chapel.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Central Plaza of Paris, Esmerelda was seen tied to a wooden pillar, surrounded by piles and piles of firewood. Frollo stood next to her execution spot, while the crowd watches in suspense. Next to the crowd, gypsies was seen in their cages, who were most likely going to face their execution, following Esmerelda's.

From the towers of the Notre Dame Chapel, Kairi, Pluto, Phoebus, and Quasimodo watched, nervous about what kind of torment Frollo has in store for Esmerelda.

"The prisoner Esmerlda has been found guilty of the crime of witchcraft!" Frollo announced to the crowd, "The sentence: death!" Frollo received cheers from the crowd, who were so blind to see Frollo's madness. Frollo then approached Esmerelda. "The time has come gypsy," Frollo said to Esmerelda, "You stand upon the brink of the abyss. Yet, it is not too late. I am your only hope of salvation from the flames of this world, and the next. Choose me, or the fire." The only response Frollo received was Esmerelda spitting Frollo in the face, who in turn wiped his face in anger. "The gypsy has refused to atone," he announced, "This evil witch has put the soul of every citizen of Paris in mortal danger!"

* * *

In the tower of the Notre Dame Chapel, Quasimodo realized what was going to happen. Frollo was going to burn Esmerelda alive!

"No, I have to stop him!" Quasimodo declared, "But what can we do? There has to be some way..."

While Pluto was observing from the balcony, he noticed someone in the crowd. When he saw who it was, he barked to Kairi.

"What is it, Pluto?" asked Kairi.

Using his ear, Pluto pointed at the exact location of the familiar figure in the crowd. Much to Kairi's surprise, he found Donald with his magic wand ready.

"Phoebus, Quasimodo, it's Donald!" the Princess announced.

Phoebus and Quasimodo saw Donald with his wand ready. "Hmm, maybe this is the time to stand up to Frollo," Phoebus pondered, "Quasi, can you take care of Esmerelda," Phoebus requested.

"Me?" asked the confused hunchback.

"Don't worry, I have faith in you," Phoebus encouraged, placing a hand on his shoulder, "You do what you think is right now, got it?"

Quasimodo realized Phoebus was right. It's time that Quasimodo stood his ground and fight for what he believes in. "Yes, you're right." Quasimodo quickly made his way to the stairs, borrowing Phoebus's knife to cut Esmerelda free.

* * *

Frollo took a torch in hand, ready to deliver Esmerelda's sentence. "For the sake of justice, for the sake of Paris, and the for sake of her own salvation, I am truly ashamed to be the one to send her back to where she belongs!" he proclaimed.

Frollo's torched moved closer and closer to the firewood surrounding Esmerelda. However, Donald finally made his move and emerged from the crowd with his wand at hand. "Blizzard!" Donald yelled.

The fire from Frollo's torched was extinguished, much to Frollo's shock. "Gypsy! Is this your doing!?" Frollo demanded.

"Nope, that was my magic," Donald declared to Frollo, who stepped forward.

While Frollo was distracted, Quasimodo quickly emerged from the Notre Dame Chapel and cut Esmerelda free. "Quasimodo?" Esmerelda said in surprise.

Quasimodo quickly took Esmerelda by her hand and ran towards the Notre Dame Chapel. "Sanctuary!" Quasimodo proclaimed.

"Quasimodo, how dare you!" Frollo was outraged by the interruption of his judgment.

Among the crowd, Phoebus knocked out some guards who were guarding the imprisoned gypsies. He then hopped to the top of the cage, so that everyone can get a good view of him. "Citizens of Paris!" Phoebus called out to the crowd, "Frollo has persecuted our people, ransacked our city! Now, he has declared war on Notre Dame herself! Will we allow it!?"

The crowd realized Phoebus was right. Frollo is not fighting injustice. Rather than fight it, he is causing it himself, all for the sake of his madness. Upon declaring their new allegiance, the crowd began releasing the gypsies and caused a full-scale riot against Frollo and his men, with Donald leading the charge. "Let's go get 'em!" Donald declared.

Frollo immediately ran away from the riot, just in time to see Quasimodo and Esmerelda flee inside the Notre Dame Chapel. With evil intentions, Frollo picked up a discarded sword and stalked after him, only to find an archdeacon blocking his path.

"Frollo, you have gone too far!" the archdeacon proclaimed, "I will not allow this assault in the house of God!"

Frollo merely shoved the archdeacon out of his way into the ground. "Silence, you old fool!" Frollo growled, "This is between me and that hunchback. And you will not get in my way." Frollo made his way to the tower, locking the door behind him to prevent anyone from interfering.

* * *

Quasimodo led Esmerelda to his bedroom, where Kairi and Pluto awaited them.

"Esmerelda, I'm so glad you're all right!" Kairi said in relief.

"You should be thanking Quasimodo," said Esmerelda, "He's the real hero."

"Still, I'm glad you're safe, Esmerelda," Quasimodo said.

Their moment of peace was immediately interrupted when they saw Frollo burst through Quasimodo's door, holding an evil look in his eyes. "I should have known you'd risk your life to save that gypsy witch!" Frollo growled at Quasimodo, "Just as your own mother died, trying to save you." Quasimodo was shocked to hear what Frollo was saying. He realized it was Frollo who killed his mother. "Now, I'm going to do what I should have done twenty years ago!" Frollo charged at Quasimodo, with his sword hovering over his head, ready to make the killing blow.

Fortunately, Quasimodo shielded the girls and moved them and himself out of harms way. Pluto immediately scurried off to look for Sora and the others. Quasimodo and the girls immediately ran out towards the balcony, with Frollo ferociously chasing after them. As Quasimodo and the girls stood against the guard rails, Frollo was about to make another attempt.

However, Quasimodo, once again, shielded the girls and moved them and himself out of the way, leaving Frollo to topple over the rail. Frollo quickly hung onto a gargoyle statue and saw Quasimodo and the girls make their escape.

The corrupt judge desperately hung for his life on the gargoyle statue. As he hung on, he found someone staring down at him. To his surprise, he found Count Saix staring at him with an expressionless look on his face. "Count Saix, please, help me," Frollo pleaded.

From his hand, Saix's sword emerged, shocking Frollo as he witnessed Saix's true nature. "And He shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pits." With those words, Saix made a swift slash on the gargoyle statue, leaving the statue to fall along with Frollo. The last thing that was heard was Frollo screaming to his ultimate death.

With Frollo out of the way, Saix began searching around, looking for Kairi and the others. He finally found them hanging onto a gargoyle statue. "Kairi, are you okay?" asked Saix.

"Yes, I'm fine," Kairi answered.

"Please, grab my hand," Saix requested, extending his hand out to her. Saix helped her up onto the balcony, with only Quasimodo and Esmerelda hanging onto the gargoyle.

"Please, help us," Esmerelda pleaded.

Unfortunately, Saix had other plans. Because he was only after Kairi's Heart Fragment, Quasimodo and Esmerelda were of no use to him. Instead, he used his dark powers to fire a dark projectile, breaking the gargoyle the hunchback and the gypsy were hanging onto. Kairi watched them fall to their supposed death, leaving her with Saix.

* * *

Unknown to Kairi, but fortunately, Phoebus and Sora, who happened to arrive on time, caught Quasimodo and Esmerelda from their fall. Sora and Phoebus safely pulled the two in.

"Thank you," Esmerelda sighed in relief.

"Where's Princess Kairi?" asked Sora.

"She's on the balcony," answered Quasimodo, "But she's with someone else. She's in trouble."

"Phoebus, I'm going after the Princess," Sora said to Phoebus.

"All right, good luck," said Phoebus.

Sora immediately ran up the stairs, desperate to save Kairi from Saix's clutches. "Princess, I'm coming for you. Just hold on," Sora said in him mind.

* * *

"Where is your Heart Fragment?" Saix interrogated.

"My Heart Fragment?" asked Kairi, "How does he know about it?" she asked herself.

"Tell me where it is," Saix commanded. Kairi was hesitant to answer. She was shocked to find out that Saix deceived her and her friends, but he also demanded her Heart Fragment. "If you want answer me, then you are of no further use for me. I will obtain the Heart Fragment, with or without your help." Saix drew his sword out, ready to strike down the helpless Princess.

Kairi, paralyzed with fear, shut her eyes tightly and cringed away. The blade was coming closer. "Look out!" a voice yelled. Much to Kairi's surprise, he saw Sora dive at her. Sora dove in to save Kairi from Saix's weapon. With Sora's intervention, Sora and Kairi fell to the ground, with Sora using himself as a landing pad for the Princess. The blade merely missed its target. Rather than strike Kairi, it gave Sora a small cut on his right shoulder.

"Are you okay, Princess?" asked the concerned Sora.

"Yes, I'm okay," she replied.

Sora stood up on the ground, helping Kairi up. "Princess, please hide," Sora requested as he drew out his Keyblade. Kairi quickly went back inside, leaving her friend to fight off Saix. "Why do you want the Heart Fragment?" Sora demanded.

"That's something you don't need to know," replied Saix.

Sora and Saix charged at each other, with their respective weapons colliding against each other. Their weapons clashed against one another. When Saix was against the guard rail, Sora attacked again. As expected, Saix blocked Sora's weapon, but this gave Sora the chance to kick Saix over the rail. The deceptive Count tumbled over the rail, but instead of falling to his death, Saix opened a dark portal in time to make his escape. "It's finally over," Sora sighed in relief.

* * *

Morning came. Sora, Phoebus, and Esmerelda emerged from the Notre Dame Chapel, earning themselves cheers from the citizens of Paris, who have deemed these people heroes. Then, Sora, Phoebus, and Esmerelda turned their attention to the entrance. They were expected someone else.

Quasimodo was reluctant to come out, afraid of getting the reaction he was expecting. Kairi, who was right next to him, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Quasimodo," Kairi assured, "I'll be right here."

"But, what if they're afraid of me," said the nervous hunchback.

"They won't," Kairi reassured, "Show them your innocence. Show them that you're not a monster, but a man." Kairi then took Quasimodo by his hand and kindly led him outside for the people to see.

The crowd was speechless to see Quasimodo. They still couldn't get over Quasimodo's disfigurement, much to the hunchback's shame. However, there was one little girl, who emerged from the crowd. Slowly, but surely, she approached Quasimodo, much to the crowd's surprise. The little girl stood before Quasimodo.

Kairi approached the little girl and knelt before her. "Do you want to meet Quasimodo?" Kairi asked. The little girl nodded, prodding Kairi to take her by her hand and leading her to Quasimodo.

The little girl slowly moved her hand to touch Quasimodo's face. Quasimodo cringed in fear, afraid of what will happen, but when the little girl touched his face, his fear melted away. The little girl saw innocence in his eyes and hugged him. No longer having fear cloud his heart, Quasimodo returned the hug to the little girl and hoisted her on his shoulder. The crowd began to cheer for their newfound friend. Quasimodo then turned to Kairi and smiled at her. "Thank you, Kairi," said the grateful hunchback. Kairi smiled in return, glad that Quasimodo is now free of prejudice. The hunchback drew a small playing card from his pocket, an ace of heart. Quasimodo held onto this card, pouring his hopes into finding the one thing he has hoped to find: love. And now, he was loved by the citizens of Paris, not for being unique by his appearance, but by the purity of his heart.

Suddenly, Mog went wide-eyed, surprising Sora and his friends. "Sora, the Heart Fragment is close by, kupo!" Mog alerted.

Quasimodo's card then lit up in a pure light. From the hunchback's hands, the card levitated into the air. Sora knew what this is. Then, the card emitted a stream of pure light into the air, revealing the very thing Sora and his friends were looking for. Using his Keyblade, Sora used the stream of light from the Keyblade to lock the Keyhole, and in return, a fragment of light emerged from the Keyhole and levitated into Sora's hand. They finally found Kairi's Heart Fragment, after some hard work.

Sora then approached the Princess and present the Heart Fragment to her. Her Heart Fragment levitated out of Sora's hand and towards Kairi, which merged into Kairi's body. Kairi felt her heart and her memories quickly returning to her, making her pass out. Sora quickly caught her limp body and gently cradled her.

"We've finally found a Heart Fragment," Goofy said to Riku.

"That's good to hear," replied Riku.

"In the end, everything worked out well, kupo!" Mog said happily.

Kairi then woke up, but a little sleepy. "We've retrieved another Fragment, Princess," Sora informed Kairi. The Princess smiled in relief.

"Three cheers for Quasimodo!" Clopin announced to the crowd. The a couple of men hoisted Quasimodo on their shoulders, carrying him around Paris with the crowd cheering for him.

Sora and his friends watched in happiness as Quasimodo has finally found peace and happiness that he has lost in his life.

* * *

In a clearing, outside of Paris, Sora and his friends were about to depart to the next world.

"And now, on to the next world, kupo!" Mog happily announced.

"Oh boy!" Donald yelled in excitement.

Kairi then noticed Sora with a concerned look on his face. "Is something wrong, Sora?" asked Kairi.

"Yes...even though we retrieved one of your Heart Fragments, there's still something that's bothering me," Sora explained.

"And what's that?" Kairi asked further.

"Is it about Saix?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, how did he know about the Princess's Heart Fragment?" Sora pondered, "He couldn't have known about it unless we told him so."

"None of us said anything about a Heart Fragment," Donald informed.

"Exactly," Goofy agreed, "Someone else must have told Saix about Princess Kairi's Heart Fragment being involved. That could only mean..."

"Someone else is involved..." Sora concluded.

Sora and his friends have realized that they are not the only ones who are seeking Kairi's Heart Fragment.

* * *

Elsewhere, the barkeep, who told Sora and his friends about the Quasimodo rumor, silently watched Sora and his friends.

"Saix has failed," the barkeep said on his comlink, "The Heart Fragment has been returned to the Princess."

* * *

In a dark dimension, Xemnas watched Sora and his friends, fully aware of what happened.

"My patience is wearing thin since we lack the means to cause them interference so far," Xemnas said, "Yet, despite some setbacks, it makes gaining the power I so desired all the more better."

"They're leaving for another world," Larxene informed.

Xemnas watched Sora and his friends depart for a new world. "It's time to make the next move..."

* * *

_**To be continued…**_


	11. Welcome to Twilight Town

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - past_

**Bold - character narration**

* * *

At Destiny Islands, the tropical paradise was experiencing a troublesome storm. It was raining quite hard, with strong winds to support the storm. The caverns, which Sora worked at, remained the same, but his archeologic team had abandoned the site, in fear of encountering more of those silver creatures.

The streets were empty. The citizens stayed indoors to avoid the harsh weather.

At the palace of Destiny Islands, Takai, the brother of Kairi, and current king of Destiny Islands, lied bedridden with bandages on his body. Apparently, despite his valiant efforts to give Sora and his sister time to escape, he suffered injuries from those mysterious silver creatures. By his side, his best friend, Zenrei, the high priest, did his best to nurse him back to health.

Taikai sat up on his, hissing in pain. "Your Highness, you need to rest yourself," Zenrei advised.

"I just don't want to lie down in bed all the time," said Taikai.

"Yes, but your wounds haven't healed," Zenrei cautioned.

"Zenrei, just talk normally," Taikai requested. Taikai, like Kairi, didn't like his best friend treating him like royalty when they have been friends since childhood, "And just call me 'Taikai.'"

Taikai and Zenrei then turned their attention to the outside of the palace. They watched the caverns being blown by the big storm.

* * *

_**Chapter 11: Welcome to Twilight Town**_

* * *

"A pretty big storm again," Taikai commented, "It's not that time of the season for this weather, and we don't know why they are occurring, but every time a storm hits, it's always at those caverns."

"Almost as if the storm itself is trying to protect something within the caverns," Zenrei concluded.

"Whatever is in there, those things must have appear for it," Taikai said, remembering those silver creatures.

"It's most likely that they came from another world," said Zenrei.

"Another world...Kairi and that punk are probably somewhere out there, in a different world," noted Taikai. Taikai stayed silent for a while, when he mentioned his sister and Sora. "To be honest, I knew that kid would be the one to decide Kairi's destiny." Zenrei was surprised by this secret confession from Taikai. "It began a little while back after she first met him."

* * *

_Little Kairi invited Little Sora in a flower garden of her palace. Little Sora stood next to Little Kairi, who then presented her friend with a little gift. Little Kairi placed a flower crown over her childhood friend's head and smiled at how good Little Sora looked in his flower crown, while Little Sora stood there, emotionless. Little Kairi then took Little Sora's hands into her own, and they began to walk and talk with each other. Over time, Little Sora began to smile towards his childhood friend, even beginning to laugh a little bit._

_Little did they know, Taikai and Zenrei were watching them. Of course, Taikai, not very fond of Little Sora, disliked the scene he witnessed._

**"Back then, when I looked at that kid, something didn't feel right about him," Taikai confessed.  
**

**"Something didn't feel right?" asked Zenrei.  
**

**"He was able to get Kairi to open up and she began to laugh a little," Taikai began, "Eventually, whatever that didn't sit right faded away."**

* * *

"Because of all that, I never told you anything," said Taikai, "Not to mention, Kairi."

"Still, I was with you that time. Yet, I didn't feel anything strange about him," said Zenrei.

"You're a priest who couldn't feel what I felt about him?" asked Taikai, "Then, what was that feeling?"

"Did you talk to the previous king about it?" Zenrei asked.

"I did," Taikai answered, "Right after I met that kid. Do you know what he said?"

Zenrei remembered what Taikai hear from his late grandfather, Ansem the Wise. "'We must believe in the future,'" Zenrei recited.

"He said those exact words, while he was looking at those caverns," Taikai said, "...with those kind eyes of his."

* * *

Elsewhere, Xemnas watched the caverns enduring the heavy storm in Destiny Islands, with Larxene watching intently.

"The heroes of the realm of light are searching for the Fragments, not knowing what lies before them, wander in new worlds," Xemnas said, "Only the ones who are watching from above in the heavens can see what stands before them."

"Yet, we're not the only ones who are watching from high, aren't we?" Larxene asked.

"They can intervene as much as us, I won't stop them," Xemnas answered, "However, there is still one person in our ranks, ready to begin."

"You're awfully confident," Larxene commented.

"I have no need for confidence," Xemnas chuckled, "Because it's certainty." Xemnas continued to watch the caverns being engulfed by the terrible storm. "It's time to move the next piece of the puzzle."

* * *

Meanwhile, thanks to Mog, Sora and his friends arrived in a new world. Around them, they found the entire place looking like sunset town.

"Here we are, kupo!" Mog announced to the group.

Sora helped the Princess from the ground and continued to observe the new world.

"I wonder what kind of world this is," Riku pondered.

Before anyone could answer Riku's question, the group was suddenly interrupted by a group of maidens. "Welcome to Twilight Town!" the maidens greeted cheerfully.

Before Sora could asked what was going on, him and the Princess suddenly found themselves in a tight hug from two of the maidens.

One black-haired maiden approached Riku and took a good look at the silver-haired teenager. "Oh, you must be new here!" the black-haired maiden said cheerfully.

"By any chance, did you all come from another world?" asked a long brown-haired maiden.

"Of course we did," replied Goofy, "We came from a faraway place."

Sora had some difficulty speaking, due to one maiden hugging him tightly and having her hand over his mouth. Eventually, Sora was able to break out from his muffled state. "Do people from other worlds come to this place often?" Sora asked.

"Of course!" answered the red-haired maiden, "People from other worlds come here to enjoy this wonderful town."

"Have you had a chance to register yet?" asked a light brown-haired maiden, while Kairi was trying to squirm her way out of the maiden's tight hug.

"Register?" the Princess asked, stopping her squirming.

"Hug Mog, too, kupo!" Mog cheered.

"Oh, you haven't registered?" asked the black-haired maiden, playing as if she were shocked by the news.

"We must take you to the City Hall right away!" the maidens said in synchronization.

From the way they were greeted, the party seemed to have come across an interesting world. Despite the wild greeting, the world, Twilight Town, seems to be a rather friendly place, compared to the other worlds the group had been through...

* * *

Sora and his friends were later taken to the City Hall to complete their registration. Around them, they found tons of people waiting to be called so that they could register their names and status. Others had business to attend to, such as discussing financial debts, policies, or seeking a job. Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto waited patiently for Sora and Riku to take care of registration, with Mog resting peacefully in Kairi's arms.

"Welcome to Twilight Town," greeted a receptionist. The receptionist then handed Riku some papers. "Please fill your names in these papers."

"Okay," responded Riku. The silver-haired teenager took the liberty of writing his friends' names in the papers. After finishing, he handed the papers back to the receptionist.

"It seems everything is in order," the receptionist said, receiving the papers, "Now, there's the matter of where you will be taking residence and what your job is."

"Travelers are required to work?" Riku asked.

"Yes, without any munny, you won't be able to do anything," the receptionist replied.

"That makes sense," Riku noted.

"If you're in a hurry, you can sell any items you currently have with you," the receptionist brought up.

"Well, in that case...Hey, Donald, do you have that bag with you?" Riku called out to Donald.

Donald dragged a heavy bag with him, grunting on the way over. "Right...here..." Donald panted. Because of how much Donald had to pull, the magician collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

"Don't worry, Donald, I'll take it from here," Sora offered. Sora then took the bag and dragged it with him up to the receptionist's desk.

* * *

Later that night, Sora and his friends took residence in a big house. The house was big enough for a family to live in. Sora and his friends walked around the big house, taking in the good qualities of the house. The only furniture in the living room was a big sofa, with Kairi sitting in it.

"According to the receptionist, this house used to be shop," Goofy noted.

"She even gave it to us at a good price, too," Donald added in.

"We got so much munny because the receptionist bought all the items we got from our travels," said Kairi.

"It's all thanks to you, Sora," Riku said, "You were right to keep all the items we got from the worlds we went to."

"A lot of worlds value items from different worlds as rare items," Sora explained.

"Did you learn that from your father when you traveled with him?" asked Riku.

"Yeah," Sora replied.

"We should keep an eye out," Donald advised everyone, as he looked out the window, "Someone could be watching us."

Sora realized Donald was right. Even though they had just bought a place to stay, they need to keep their guard up. After all, they are not the only ones who are looking for Kairi's Heart Fragment.

"Well, you're probably right," Riku agreed, as he falls back, relaxing completely on his sleeping bag, "But that doesn't mean we should be worried all the time. We should rest while we still have the chance."

Mog fell back, falling gently on Riku's stomach. "Mog will relax, too, kupo!" Mog sighed.

"Ah, you two are just lazy!" Donald complained.

"Well, we at least have a place to stay," Riku noted, "All that's left to do is..."

"...find the King," Goofy added.

"...and look for Princess Kairi's Heart Fragment," Sora finished.

"Yes," the Princess agreed.

"Leave it to me, kupo!" Mog said, jumping onto the armrest. Mog concentrated hard to search for any energy signature which resembled the Fragment's energy. "It's not that strong, but I can feel it," Mog informed.

"Really?" Sora asked anxiously.

"The Fragment is definitely here, kupo!" Mog informed happily.

Sora and Kairi smiled at each other. Things were looking up. Not only have they found a place to stay, but now they realize that a Heart Fragment is in this world. It was only a matter of time before sought out Fragment reveals itself.

* * *

Later that evening, the group decided to call it a night and get a good night's sleep. Kairi slept peacefully in the sofa, with a blanket draped over her, with Mog sleeping next to her like a teddy bear. Riku slept in his sleeping bag, while Donald slept using Pluto as a pillow. Sora and Goofy slumped against the wall, but they were comfortable enough to get some sleep.

Outside, the street lights began to flicker unusually. The flashing lights caused Pluto to wake up. Then, Pluto began to growl at a mysterious presence, alerting the men.

"Is something wrong, Pluto?" asked the concerned Goofy.

"What is it, boy?" asked Sora.

Riku took the liberty of waking up Kairi and Mog, and taking them away from the windows. Suddenly, a giant Heartless burst through the window.

"Sora!" Kairi called out in distress.

"We just found a place, and we're getting a visitor already," Riku mused.

"Except we didn't invite it!" Donald exclaimed.

Sora immediately drew his Keyblade and went into his defensive stance. Sora gracefully dodged a claw swipe from the Heartless. Unfortunately, he failed to notice another claw swipe on his right side. The failure to act resulted in a cut on Sora's arm, which began to leak blood. Fortunately, the cut was nothing serious.

As Sora fought the Heartless Donald noticed something Sora's face. The flickering street lights shone on Sora's face, causing his right to reflect light. "His eye..." Donald thought to himself.

The Heartless did another claw swipe, and Sora counterattacked with a downwards slash with his Keyblade, vanquishing the giant Heartless for good.

"Good job, kupo!" Mog praised.

"Are you okay, Sora?" asked the concerned Princess.

"I'm okay," Sora assured, indicating the cut on his arm, "It's just a scratch."

"Let's see, first, we met some pretty ladies, then they helped us find this house," Goofy recounted.

"I thought this place was friendly," Riku commented, "I guess I was wrong."

Donald paid attention to the bleeding cut on Sora's right arm. Seeing Sora cut on his right arm was unusual. Sora should have been able to dodge that attack, yet, he was struck as if he hadn't seen that attack coming. "Now I know what's going on," Donald thought.

* * *

The next morning, Twilight Town continued to have it's usual sunset sunlight. The world wasn't called Twilight Town for nothing. Sora had a bandage on his right arm before him and Riku made a trip to the Twilight Town City Hall to report an attack at their house.

"Good job, last night," said the receptionist, "Here is your payment."

Sora was confused. Why were they being paid for defeating a Heartless last night? "Why are we being paid?" asked Sora.

"You defeated a Heartless, right?" asked the receptionist.

"How did you know we encountered a Heartless last night?" questioned Riku.

"We monitor the movements of Heartless within Twilight Town," replied the receptionist, "The Heartless have recently appeared in Town. The Heartless mostly appear during the night, but on rare occasions, they appear during the day."

"That explains everything," Riku realized.

"We do have specialists who are hired to fight the Heartless," the receptionist brought up.

"Specialist?" asked Sora.

"We refer to them as the 'Heartless Extermination Squad,'" the receptionist began to explain, "They make their living collecting their payment from defeated Heartless."

"So if compared to the other jobs..." Riku began.

"Yes, the payment is significantly higher," the receptionist finished for Riku, "Would you like to sign up for it?"

"Hmm...well, Sora, what do you say? Do you want to take this job?" Riku offered.

"Well, we do need the munny, and we'll be able to cover a lot of ground that way, so I guess it's okay," said Sora.

"The limit is three people per group," the receptionist explained further, "And to keep track payment, you must assign a group name for your Heart Extermination Squad."

Riku received some applications from the receptionist and began writing in it. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy...and let's see...for the group name..." Riku said, as he wrote down the trio's names and their group name.

Sora looked over Riku's shoulder to see what he wrote. After seeing what he wrote in the application, Sora held a shocked look on his face. "R-Riku! Y-you're not serious!?" Sora said in a panic.

Riku then handed the application back to the receptionist, much to Sora's dismay. "Thank you," said the receptionist, "Now, as for how you will receive payment..."

Sora sighed in defeat. It was too late to take back the application now...

* * *

Back at the house, Riku explained to everyone what happened.

"A Heartless Extermination Squad?" Donald asked with interest, "Well, that's a good way to start."

"I thought the same thing, so I signed you, Sora, and Goofy up for it," Riku explained, "And take this with you." Riku presented them a crystal blue orb.

"What is this?" Goofy asked as he took a closer look at the orb.

"This is proof that you're part of the Heartless Extermination Squad," Sora explained to Goofy.

"They say there's a trick to these blue orbs," Riku began, "They say that if you hold these orbs to the sun, the orb will shine with the same tranquility as the sea. In this world, they call that tranquil sea 'Kairi.'"

"Really?" Kairi asked, interested to know that the tranquil sea was named after her.

"Whenever you defeat a Heartless, munny will be transferred into this blue orb," Riku informed, "In a way, this blue orb is like a wallet. Pretty hand, if you ask me." Riku then placed the orb in Sora's hand. "Well, good luck, you guys."

"You didn't sign up?" asked Goofy.

"The receptionist said that only three are allowed in a group," informed Riku, "Besides, I found another job."

"What kind of job is that?" the Princess asked out of curiosity.

* * *

Time went by. Kairi peeped her head out from the back door. She saw the interior go through a drastic change. The interior of the house was becoming a cafe restaurant. Tables were set, a bar was created; plates, cups, and silverware were placed, and curtains were hung for living conditions.

"Oh, the place is almost done," Kairi said in surprise.

"Yes," Sora responded, "Thanks to the munny we earned for defeating the Heartless, we were able to buy some things for the cafe restaurant."

"Does the apron fit you, Princess?" Riku asked.

"Yes," replied Kairi. Kairi stepped out from back door to reveal her pink apron, much to Sora's surprise. The pink apron was to serve as her uniform for the cafe restaurant. The apron look really good on Kairi. In fact, she looked more than good. Sora couldn't help but blush as the sight. In his eyes, Kairi looked...very cute. When Kairi faced Sora, he immediately regained his composure. "Does is look good, Sora?" Kairi asked shyly.

"It looks perfect, Princess," Sora assured.

"You look like a professional cafe waitress already," Goofy commented.

"Why a cafe restaurant?" Donald questioned.

"In a cafe restaurant, people will all kinds of information will come by," Riku explained thoroughly.

Suddenly, Mog went wide-eyed, alerting everyone. However, it wasn't because Mog detected the Heart Fragment's presence. Instead, Mog opened his mouth and shot out a plate of chocolate cakes on the table.

"Where did this come from?" Goofy asked.

"It's a gift from Lulu, kupo!" Mog said happily, "It's supposed to be very tasty if you heat it up a little."

"It looks good," Riku said, observing the cakes, "Let's eat, everyone."

The entire group enjoyed the chocolate cakes Lulu sent them. To go with it, the group also had some mocha, which Riku was able to make for the group.

"It's delicious!" Kairi said happily, as she enjoyed the taste.

"It's tasty, isn't it?" said Mog, enjoying the sweet cake.

"I'm not having any," Donald grumbled. Apparently, Donald was still upset with his sacrifice. Because of that, Donald somewhat held a little grudge against the sorceress. However, someone began tapping on his head, which began to annoy Donald greatly. "What!?" Donald practically yelled out of annoyance. Donald was then silenced when Riku forcibly shoved a piece of chocolate cake in his mouth. Though Donald ate it, he was outraged. "What's the big idea!?" Donald demanded.

"You gotta try it before you say 'no,'" Riku amusingly reasoned.

"Donald ate it, kupo!" Mog cheered, jumping around in happiness, "Wait until Lulu hears this!"

"Don't you dare!" Donald yelled.

"Would you like some more mocha, Sora?" the Princess kindly offered.

"Oh, yes, thank you," Sora politely complied.

As Kairi poured Sora some more mocha, she held a small smile on her face. "You know what? I feel so happy when you say 'thank you,'" said Kairi, as she smiled a little, "Although, I have a very familiar feeling about it. It's strange, isn't it?"

Despite Sora being reminded of his sacrifice, Sora was happy to know what kind of memory his friend recently got back. He remembered what happened during that time...

* * *

_At Destiny Islands, at Little Sora's and his father's house, Konsetsu had just completed wrapping a bandage around Sora's right hand._

_"That should be okay now," Konsetsu said, placing a hand on his son's injury, "You should be more careful when handling fire, okay?"_

_"I'm sorry," Little Sora said with a mellow tone, still holding that unemotional look on his face._

_Konsetsu was a little surprised by his son's reaction, but he quickly held that expression back with his kind smile. "You don't need to apologize," Konsetsu told Little Sora._

_"But, the money you used to buy the medicine..." Little Sora tried to reason._

_"The money isn't important," reassured Konsetsu, "I'm just worried about my son getting injured."_

_"...I'm sorry," Little Sora said, feeling guilty._

_Then, Konsetsu heard a knock on his door. "Come in," Konsetsu greeted the visitor._

_From the front door, Little Kairi emerged and gave Konsetsu a solemn bow. "Hello!"_

* * *

_Later that night, Little Sora and Little Kairi sat on a bed together, with Little Kairi looking at her friend's injury. _

_"Does it hurt?" asked Little Kairi, as she looked at her friend's bandaged hand._

_"I'm sorry," Little Sora said with some guilt._

_"Why are you apologizing?" Little Kairi asked, holding a kind smile for her friend._

_"It's because you're so worried about me, Princess," Little Sora confessed._

_"You don't want people to worry about you?" Little Kairi asked._

_"No, it's not that," Little Sora said, shaking his head._

_"Then, what's wrong?" Little Kairi asked some more._

_"Before you came in, Dad was so worried about my injury," Little Sora recalled, "But, when I said, 'I'm sorry,' he looked troubled." Little Sora held his head down a little, feeling some guilt. "I didn't mean for him to be so troubled."_

_"Then, how about instead of apologizing to him, try saying something better," Little Kairi encouraged, "Like this..." Little Kairi brought herself closer to Little Sora's ear and began to whisper into his ear._

_"I have some tea ready," Konsetsu said, arriving with a tray of tea. Konsetsu then took his son's hand to see how well it was healing. "Take care of your hand, okay?"_

_"T-thank...you...Dad," Little Sora said, hoping it would prevent his father's troubled look._

_Konsetsu was taken back by his son's response, but hearing his son saying that caused him to smile. And before Little Sora knew it, he found himself in his father's deep embrace. "You're very welcome, my son."_

_Little Kairi watched the whole thing, and smiled for her friend and his father. She was glad that they have now grown closer._

* * *

Sora remembered that day very well. Though, it pains Sora to know that Kairi will not remember that day that she shared with him.

Kairi noticed a troubled look on Sora's face. "Is something wrong?" asked the concerned Kairi.

"Oh...no, it's nothing," Sora reassured, "Thank you for the mocha."

Although Sora told her he was okay, Kairi knew there was something bothering him. But what is it, as Kairi was ask herself.

* * *

It was nighttime. Sora and his Heartless Extermination Squad were doing their routine patrols around the streets of Twilight Town.

"There should be Heartless around this here parts," Goofy said as he looked around for any signs of the Heartless.

"We better keep an eye out," advised Sora, "You know how sneaky those things are."

"Sora, are you sure you're up for this?" questioned Donald, "Do you have any regrets?"

"I chose this job because I'm looking for the Princess's Heart Fragment," Sora answered, "If possible, I can also gather information with some other Heartless Extermination Squad."

"Then there's something I want to ask you," Donald said, stepping up to Sora.

Before Donald could speak to Sora, a group of Heartless appeared before the group. Sora immediately drew his Keyblade and was the first one to enter the fight. Donald and Goofy were the only ones who stood back.

"Aren't you going to help him?" Goofy asked, wondering why Donald wasn't going in.

"Take a look at him," Donald said.

The duo took a good look at Sora's fighting style. As Sora fought off against the Heartless, Goofy noticed the street lights shining on Sora's face. Then, with careful observation, he noticed a light reflecting off of Sora's right eye. As Sora vanquished one Heartless, he failed to noticed a Heartless coming up on his right. Donald knew Sora wouldn't react on his right side and immediately unleashed his fire magic on the incoming Heartless, vanquishing it for good. Sora only noticed the Heartless after Donald defeated it.

"You're blind in your right eye, aren't you?" Sora realized Donald knew what was his problem from his first attack against the Heartless. "I thought something was wrong when you fought a Heartless that night," Donald realized, "If it happens again, you might not be so lucky against a bigger Heartless."

"I realize that," Sora spoke up, "But I can't turn back."

With that, Sora bravely fought off against the Heartless that appeared before him and his friends, despite his disability. Donald and Goofy were impressed by Sora's bravery. Even if it was a big disadvantage, Sora was not going to back down, all for the sake of his personal mission.

Finally, Sora was able to strike down the last Heartless.

"Nice going, you guys," praised Goofy, "By the way, Sora, with your blind right eye, is that why you learned how to use a sword?"

"Yeah," Sora answered.

"Did you learn it yourself?" Donald questioned.

"No, actually, someone once taught me how to use one, when I was just a kid," confessed Sora, "I know my disability will be a problem, but I promise you guys, I won't let anyone down."

"It will never be a problem, Sora," Donald encouraged, "We're a team!"

"All for one, and one for all!" Goofy cheered.

"Oh!"

The group heard a female voice from a different direction. Tracing the source of the voice, the group found a trio of teenage women staring at them. One equipped with guns, one equipped with knives, and one equipped with a sword.

"You got the Heartless already?" the blond girl with knives asked.

"You got our target," the girl in black sighed.

"But that was really something," the female gunner said.

Just who are these girls? Are they new enemies? Are they seeking the Heart Fragment?

* * *

_**To be continued…**_


	12. Life in the Twilight

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - past_

**Bold - previous parts in chapter **

* * *

**The duo took a good look at Sora's fighting style. As Sora fought off against the Heartless, Goofy noticed the street lights shining on Sora's face. Then, with careful observation, he noticed a light reflecting off of Sora's right eye. As Sora vanquished one Heartless, he failed to noticed a Heartless coming up on his right. Donald knew Sora wouldn't react on his right side and immediately unleashed his fire magic on the incoming Heartless, vanquishing it for good. Sora only noticed the Heartless after Donald defeated it.**

**"You're blind in your right eye, aren't you?" Sora realized Donald knew what was his problem from his first attack against the Heartless. "I thought something was wrong when you fought a Heartless that night," Donald realized, "If it happens again, you might not be so lucky against a bigger Heartless."**

**"I realize that," Sora spoke up, "But I can't turn back."**

**With that, Sora bravely fought off against the Heartless that appeared before him and his friends, despite his disability. Donald and Goofy were impressed by Sora's bravery. Even if it was a big disadvantage, Sora was not going to back down, all for the sake of his personal mission.**

**Finally, Sora was able to strike down the last Heartless.**

* * *

**The group found a trio of teenage women staring at them. One equipped with guns, one equipped with knives, and one equipped with a sword.**

**"You got the Heartless already?" the blond girl with knives asked.**

**"You got our target," the girl in black sighed.**

**"But that was really something," the female gunner said.**

**Just who are these girls? Are they new enemies? Are they seeking the Heart Fragment?**

* * *

_**Chapter 12: Life in in the Twilight**_

* * *

The three girls approached Sora and his friends. The blond girl, who uses knives stepped up towards the group and gave out a friendly salute to the heroes.

"Greetings, fellow Exterminators!" the blond girl greeted cheerfully, "We're the Gullwings! My name is Rikku."

"Paine," the black-haired girl greeted, as if she were uninterested.

"And I'm Yuna, the leader of the Gullwings," the brown-haired girl greeted politely.

Rikku approached Sora, showing some interested in the young teenager. "That was some fighting you got there, kiddo," Rikku praised.

"Oh, it was nothing," Sora said, not wanting to be praised too much for his strength.

"Your magic skills are also something," Yuna praised Donald, "You don't see magic like that very often."

"I've taken magic lessons for many years," bragged Donald, "I'm the best back at home."

"We're pleased to meet you all, ladies," Goofy spoke up, "I'm Goofy. This is Sora and Donald," he introduced.

"Oh! I remember now!" Rikku suddenly spoke up as she heard their names, "You guys are the newest group in the Heartless Extermination Squad. I think your group names was..."

Sora was surprised that they were officially recognized by other Extermination Squad members. It was only this morning that they signed up for the job. Donald eagerly awaited to hear what his group name was...

* * *

Back at Riku's cafe, Riku was busy getting everything ready for his grand opening, with Pluto giving him a hand. Kairi and Mog spent their time together painting a sign for their new shop, while Kairi was humming a quiet song to herself. All was quiet in this evening. That was, until someone suddenly burst through the door, with an angry look on his face.

"Riku!!" Donald roared.

"What's up, Donald?" Riku asked, not sure why Donald was louder than usual.

"What's the big idea!?" the magician demanded, "Why did you give us _that_ name!?"

"Donald is angry again, kupo!" Mog mused in Kairi's arms.

"Did something happen?" Kairi asked, wondering why Donald is angrier than usual.

Sora, who came with the angry Donald, walked up next to Kairi. "It's about our group name," Sora answered.

"The group name?" Kairi asked again.

"A while ago, when Riku signed me and the guys up..." Sora recalled.

* * *

_Riku received some applications from the receptionist and began writing in it. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy...and let's see...for the group name..." Riku said, as he wrote down the trio's names and their group name._

_Sora looked over Riku's shoulder to see what he wrote. After seeing what he wrote in the application, Sora held a shocked look on his face. "R-Riku! Y-you're not serious!?" Sora said in a panic._

* * *

Riku had some explaining to do, before Donald goes over his limit in his tantrums. "The receptionist said that every Heartless Extermination Squad needed a group name so that there won't be a mix-up whenever they receive their payment," Riku explained thoroughly, "But I wasn't much for naming a group, so the only thing that came to mind was: The Three Stooges," Riku mused, smiling out of amusement, "That's also why I had the Princess not only put out my design, but I also asked her to write a little something on the sign."

The group looked at the sign and saw what it said. Aside from the picture of hearts, there was a little note on it: Home of The Three Stooges. Sora and Goofy didn't mind the group name, since it was already too late to take the name back. Donald, on the other hand, it was safe to say he was not happy at all.

"I don't know where you get these ideas, but you've had it!" Donald yelled in anger.

Donald then chased after Riku, trying to get him back for the ridiculous group name. Riku gave chase, dodging every one of Donald's magic attacks. Riku was obviously toying with Donald, just for his own amusement. Sora couldn't help but be amused with the scene. Kairi giggled watching the two go at it.

"Wow!" Rikku said as she came in with her friends, "You guys have a nice place."

"I envy you guys," Paine said in her usual mellow tone, "Your place is better than ours."

"Well, I wouldn't know about that," Sora said, scratching his head.

Behind Sora and Kairi, Donald continued to chase down Riku. Unfortunately, for Donald, as he chased the silver-haired teenager, he failed to react on time when Riku used himself as bait. Riku waited for Donald to charge at him with full force. At the right moment, Riku quickly opened a door and, much to Donald's surprise, cleaning tools and supplies fell on the helpless magician, stopping Donald's chase once and for all.

"Something smells good," Yuna noted, taking the smell in.

"I thought so, too," Goofy agreed, "What's cooking, Riku?"

"The Princess and I just made some brownies for fun," Riku answered, "We don't open until tomorrow, but if you all like, you can have some."

"You don't have to ask me twice!" Rikku said happily.

"Why not? It's not everyday we get treated by The Three Stooges," Paine said.

"We're not The Three Stooges!" Donald yelled, as he emerged from the cleaning supplies buried on top of him.

* * *

Taking a brownie in hand, Rikku took a bite out of the dessert. Much to Rikku's satisfaction, it was surprisingly good. "It's delicious!" Rikku said happily.

"That's good to hear," Riku commented, "I just followed Mog's advised and added some peanuts to it."

"If you add some peanuts, it's gets sweeter, kupo!" Mog said happily.

"We gotta tell the other Extermination Squadrons about this place!" Yuna told her friends, after she took a bite out of her brownie.

Kairi came back from the kitchen with three cups of mocha. "Here you are," Kairi offered the three Gullwings.

"Thank you," Rikku complied.

"You're all new in town, right?" Paine asked.

"Yes, we just arrived yesterday," Kairi answered.

"Coincidentally, we encountered a Heartless last night the day we arrived," Goofy informed the Gullwings.

Yuna took out a card from her pocket and presented it to Sora and his friends. "The City Hall studied these Heartless and labeled their differences on these cards."

On the card, it showed different classes of different Heartless. "Every Heartless is labeled by different letters: from A to G," Paine explained in her usual tone, "And every letter has five numbers."

"The higher the letters and numbers, the stronger the Heartless are," Rikku finished, "For example, E-1 is the strongest in the E-class, which makes E-5 is the weakest in the E-class," she explained in details.

"So, judging from this card, A-1 is the strongest Heartless in Twilight Town, right?" Sora asked, as he observed the card.

"That's right," Yuna confirmed, "Most of the Heartless Extermination Squadrons are training hard every day to be able to beat an A-1 Heartless."

"Now I see," Goofy realized, "The one we encountered last night was a C-5 type Heartless."

"Although it's kind of odd," said Yuna, "Recently, the Heartless have been more active than usual lately."

Suddenly, the Gullwings felt a dark mysterious presence outside of the cafe restaurant. "There's our Heartless!" Rikku spoke up.

"Thank you for the dessert," Yuna said to Riku politely, "How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it," Riku assured, "It's on the house today. But, I guess as payment, you can stop by again. I'd like to hear more from you and your friends."

"It's a deal," Yuna complied happily.

"I'll see you again, real soon!" Rikku said to Kairi.

Kairi realized that she has already struck an immediate friendship with Rikku. "Sure, I look forward to it," said Kairi, smiling to her new friend.

"Let's go, already," Paine said, sounding almost impatient.

The Gullwings armed themselves with their respective weapons and ran out the exit to fight their Heartless.

"Pretty good for our first customers," Riku commented.

"Mog, do you still feel the Fragment?" Sora asked the white creature.

"Mog can feel it, but the energy is weak, so Mog can't tell where it is," Mog informed, "Sorry, kupo..." Mog felt sad that he can't do anything more than that.

"You don't have to apologize," Sora encouraged, "We'll be able to get more information working as Heartless Exterminators. We'll find a way to get to it."

"But won't you get hurt?" Mog asked, worried about Sora's well-being.

Sora placed a comforting hand on Mog's head, reassuring him. "Don't worry, Mog. We'll be okay."

"Mog will do his best to find the energy wave of the Fragment, too, kupo!" Mog said, regaining his composure.

Feelings of sadness washed over Kairi. Mog was right. Sora might get hurt trying to find her Heart Fragments. She's seen it almost everyday. Every time they find a Heart Fragment, Sora would willingly put his life on the line to retrieve it for her.

* * *

Later that evening, in Sora's bedroom, Sora was quietly reading a book. His reading was put to a stop when he saw someone emerge from his door.

"Oh, Princess," Sora greeted politely.

Kairi came in with a tray and a hot drink. "Riku taught me how to make this hot chocolate," Kairi said, handing Sora his hot drink.

"Thank you, Princess," Sora accepted.

Feelings of sadness, once again, washed over Kairi after hearing what Mog said about Sora's well-being. "I'm sorry..." Kairi said sadly.

"Princess?" Sora was confused on why she was saying something like this, out of the blue.

"I'm sorry for what I said back then..." Kairi said, still holding a guilty tone in her voice.

"Back then?" Sora asked.

* * *

_"Right now, you've lost your all of your memories, and we're traveling to different worlds to try to retrieve them for you," Sora continued to explain._

_"Just…the two of us?" she asked._

_"No, we're traveling with some friends of mine," he answered._

_"Are you one of them?" Kairi asked._

_"Yes," Sora responded politely._

_"Even though I don't know you?" she continued._

* * *

"But I do know you, don't I?" she asked, "You're work so hard everyday, and you get hurt so much, all for my sake." Sora knew where Kairi was getting at. He couldn't help but feel guilty about making the Princess feel this way. "And yet...as you do all that..." Kairi paused, still feeling guilty about Sora getting hurt for her, "I'm so sorry."

Sora never realized how much this affected Kairi. It was true that he willingly puts his life on the line for her, but he didn't think how much this would not only make the Princess worried, but it would make her feel sad and guilty for his well-being.

"When did you and I first meet, Sora?" Kairi asked, almost as if she really wanted to know. Sora wasn't sure how to answer her. Remembering his sacrifice, was it right for him to tell her the truth? "I've known you since we're were little, right?" Kairi asked again, "Not only that, but are you someone who is really so important to--"

Kairi suddenly gasped as she felt a shocking sensation in her mind, almost as if a small lightning bolt attacked her. Inside her mind, she saw a vague familiar image, before it was eventually washed away from her mind. The shocking sensation made Kairi lose her grip on the metal tray, letting it drop to the ground.

"Princess? What's wrong?" Sora asked, concerned at seeing how she suddenly reacted. Kairi felt weakness in her mind, and she suddenly collapsed towards Sora. "Princess!" Sora immediately caught gently in his arms and lowered her gently onto his lap.

"What...were we just talking about...just now...?" Kairi asked, weakly. Sora could only frown, when he realized what just happened. "That's right..." Kairi said, "I wanted...to apologize...to you..."

Seeing what just happened, this was the most painful reminder of Sora's sacrifice. Sora just wanted to cry. He squeezed Kairi's shoulder, albeit gently, trying to fight back against his frustrations. How much more must he endure this torture? How many times must he be reminded of his sacrifice?

Outside of Sora's bedroom, Riku, Donald, and Goofy overheard everything between Sora and Kairi.

"What was that just now?" Goofy asked.

"Proof that you can't take a sacrifice back so easily," Riku plainly stated. Lulu was truly not an easy person to take a sacrifice back from. "If Kairi remembers even a little bit of that memory, it will be wiped out from her mind completely. Even if she's the one who is trying to remember it herself."

Donald and Goofy realized how much this would torture not only Sora, but Kairi as well. This journey was not only keeping them together, but it's also hurting them together on the inside.

"I'm pretty sure Sora knew this was bound to happen," Riku continued, "Kairi is regaining her memories slowly, every time he retrieves a Fragment. But even if Kairi were to ask Sora about her past, no matter how much Sora wants to, she will never remember anything about her past relationship with him."

"It's no wonder why Sora never told her anything about their past," Donald said, realizing the truth.

"Still, he's not going to back down from this," said Riku.

Kairi's eyes began to feel heavy after that shock in her mind. "I know...one day...when we retrieve all of my Fragments...I'll be able to remember you. I just know it," Kairi said quietly, before falling asleep in Sora's lap.

Sora continued to hold Kairi in his arms, tightening his grip, remembering how sacred vow. "I will retrieve your Fragments," Sora vowed silently to the sleeping Princess, "Even if I'll never be part of your memories again."

And Sora was going to prove his vow, but fighting off a group of Heartless that have appeared outside his window.

* * *

The next morning, Riku killed some time playing darts in his bar. He wasn't a very good dart player, but out of luck, he managed to hit a bullseye.

"Good morning!" Kairi greeted, coming out of her room, wearing her pink apron, "I'm so sorry. I overslept on the day we open."

"That's okay," assured Riku, "I wasn't sure when I should open the store anyways."

"I'll make sure to wake up on time," the Princess vowed. Kairi looked around, noticing that the usual trio weren't around this morning. "Where's everyone else?"

"Sora and the others are heading to the City Hall to collect their pay," replied Riku, "It looked like a Heartless appeared last night?"

"Really?" Kairi asked, not realizing one showed up, "I didn't know there was one last night."

"You were sound asleep, so it makes sense," said Riku.

Kairi then noticed a first aid kit on the counter. "Did someone get hurt?" Kairi asked, as she eyed the first aid kit.

"Sora had a few scratches, but they're not serious," Riku informed. Then, Riku noticed the Princess's sad look on her face, upon hearing Sora slightly injured. "Are you worried about him?" Riku asked.

"Of course, I'm worried about him," answered Kairi, "Sora is trying so hard to retrieve my Fragments, and there's nothing I can do for him in return." Riku knew where the Princess was getting at. "And not only that," the Princess continued, "He just seems so lonely at times."

"I thought you'd say that," Riku said, getting a confused look from Kairi, "There _is_ something you can do for him. Just smile. Your smile is what makes Sora happy."

Hearing this made Kairi wonder if smiling for him will make Sora truly happy.

"That reminds me." Riku recalled something. The silver-haired teenager then turned around and whistled towards the kitchen door. "Here, Pluto," Riku called to the dog.

Pluto came out of the kitchen, balancing a tray on his head and presenting it on the counter for Kairi.

"Pluto and I made you breakfast," he offered, "Eat it while it's hot."

"Thank you, Riku," Kairi complied. Taking a bite out of the pancake, Kairi was surprised about the taste quality. "It's delicious!" she exclaimed with satisfaction.

"That's good to hear," said Riku.

"You're really gifted, Riku," praised Kairi, "You're a good cook and a good artist."

"Drawing is a little hobby I used to do in my spare time," Riku explained himself, "As for cooking, I got some lessons from Cid while we were at Traverse Town. Sora, Goofy, and Mog enjoyed their breakfast. Though, I'm not sure about the other one..."

* * *

As the Heartless Extermination Squad entered City Hall, Donald sneezed out of nowhere.

"Did you catch a cold?" Sora asked, after hearing Donald's random sneeze.

"I don't think so," Donald sniffled.

"It wasn't cold last night," reminded Goofy.

"Someone must be talking about you, kupo!" Mog cheered on Goofy's head.

"Must be Riku," Donald grumbled, "Making me eat something like that for breakfast. I don't like eating anything sweet for breakfast."

"But you have to admit, it was pretty good," Sora said, smiling a little.

"I agree, kupo!" Mog said happily on Goofy's head.

* * *

"Good morning to you," the receptionist greeted, "How was your successful extermination last night?"

"We have our orb here," Sora said, presenting it to the receptionist.

The receptionist took the orb from Sora and placed it on a magical device, which caused the orb to glow. Then, the receptionist went to her computer and began typing a few codes. "I will be able to deposit your payment from last night," the receptionist informed the group, "I am able to put munny directly into your account, now that you have successfully completed your formal registration. So from now on, you don't have to come here for your payment." The receptionist then took the blue orb and returned it to Sora.

"Got it," Sora said as he took the orb back.

"If you have any questions about anything, please don't hesitate to ask," the receptionist continued.

"Well, there is something I want to ask," Sora spoke up.

"And what might that be?" asked the receptionist.

"Have there been any weird activities or incidents in this town?" questioned Sora, "It doesn't have to be a recent event. Anything like legends or anything?"

"If you want to know about things like that, you should visit the Information Center," the receptionist replied.

"Wait! I thought you said we could ask you here!" Donald almost yelled in an outrage.

"Sorry, but those are the rules," the receptionist reasoned.

"Those are the rules, kupo!" Mog repeated.

* * *

Sora and his Extermination members walked through the streets of Twilight Town, while Sora was reading a map that was given to him. Mog, on the other hand, went back to Riku's cafe to help take care of the shop.

"We should have went to the Information Center next time," Donald complained.

"It's a good thing she gave us a map, though," said Sora as he read the map.

"Although, they sure have been making us go in circles," Goofy noticed.

Sora looked up where he saw what looked like a mysterious shop. "That must be the place," Sora said, looking up from his map.

"It looks pretty mysterious," Goofy observed.

"Very mysterious, kupo!" Mog exclaimed happily.

Sora entered the shop first. Inside the shop, he found a woman tending to some of her flowers. As she turned around, she noticed Sora and his friends entering her shop.

"I am Quistis," the blond woman greeted, "I am in charge of the Information Booth."

* * *

Quisits and the Heartless Extermination Squad took their seats. The blond woman offered the men some tea for their stay.

"Before we begin, please tell me your names," requested Quistis.

"I'm Sora," he introduced, "This is Donald and Goofy. We're part of the Heartless Extermination Squad: The Three Stooges."

Donald could only grumble in annoyance. Apparently, he still disliked the group name they were forced to have.

"Ah, I recognize you now," Quistis exclaimed.

"You know us?" Sora asked, surprised.

"Yes, I receive numerous information, after all," Quistis reminded about her job, "Is there something you want to know?"

"We were wondering if there have been any recent activities going on lately," Goofy told Quistis.

"Any activities specifically?" Quistis asked.

"Anything," Sora answered, "Even legends will help us."

"Come to think of it," Quistis pondered, "The Heartless' activities have been increasing lately. More and more Heartless are appearing in places they normally don't appear. Even daytime Heartless are more common than usual. And that's not the worst of it..." Quistis paused. Sora realized there was more bad news. This could make looking for the Heart Fragment more difficult. "A new type of Heartless has appeared," Quistis finished.

"A new Heartless?" Sora asked, concerned about this revelation.

"I don't know the details, yet," Quistis said further, "There have only been recent sightings of it. None of the Heartless Extermination Squadrons have encountered it. All I know is this..." Quistis paused and leaned in closer in a whispering range, "This Heartless specializes in dark magic," she whispered, "I can direct you to the person who got this information."

"Please," Sora politely requested.

Quistis took out a business card and presented it to the group. "That person is in this place," directed Quistis, "Let them know that I sent you. You'll find that person there."

* * *

Later in the late afternoon, Riku accompanied Donald and Goofy to that designated place, reading the business card that the party received.

"Where's Sora?" Donald asked out of curiosity.

"I thought I'd give him the day off," Riku stated, while reading the card.

"What for?" asked Goofy.

"I just thought he needed it," said Riku.

* * *

At Riku's cafe, Sora helped Kairi clean the shop and set everything perfectly. Kairi watched as Sora set up some decorative cups and dishes inside a cabinet, which would serve to make the cafe lively.

"Does this look good?" Sora asked as he set the last plate in.

"Yes, it's beautiful," Kairi said with a smile. Then, when Sora faced her, she noticed a little speck of dirt on his right cheek. Taking a handkerchief in hand, Kairi licked a part of the cloth and gently wiped the dirt off of his face. "You just got a little dirt," Kairi said, as she gently wiped the dirt off of Sora's face.

"Thank you, Princess," Sora said politely.

After Kairi wiped the speck of dirt off, she noticed a bandage on his arm. Although Riku assured her it was not serious, she felt some sadness to see her friend hurt for her. "Don't be so lonely anymore, okay?" Kairi said quietly in a sad tone.

"Huh?" Sora thought he heard the Princess say something.

Kairi woke up from her brief trance of sadness and she realized how close she was to Sora. Kairi shyly backed away and looked down on the ground, hiding the fact that she was blushing. "W-well, let's do our best to take care of the shop, while Riku and the others are gone," Kairi immediately encouraged, in order to hide her blushing face.

"Yeah," Sora complied.

* * *

In one of the bedrooms, Mog brought up a two-way communication portal for him and Lulu.

"Ah, good evening, Lulu!" Mog greeted happily.

"Good evening, Mog," Lulu greeted back, "Is it night time there?"

"Yup!" Mog exclaimed, "Thank you for the chocolate cakes you sent us, kupo! Everyone ate it and it was so tasty!"

"I'm glad to hear that, Mog," Lulu said, smiling.

"But, Donald said he didn't want to eat it because he's still mad about his sacrifice, kupo!" Mog explained, "But then, Riku made him eat it!" Mog said, demonstrating the action.

"That still doesn't change the fact that he ate it," Lulu mused, "I will be expecting something on White Day soon. Of course, my gift should be three times better than the gift I sent."

* * *

In the evening, Riku and the others continued their walk around the streets of Twilight Town. Once again, out of nowhere, Donald sneezed.

"I think someone is talking about you, Donald," said Goofy.

"Aw, phooey!" Donald grumbled.

As the group continued walking, the group was suddenly surrounded by an unexpected group of Heartless. The men immediately drew their weapons and took their defensive stances in a back-to-back-to-back position.

"Didn't they say Heartless aren't supposed to be here?" Riku asked the duo.

"Their activities have been unusual lately," Goofy informed.

The Heartless crept towards the group, until one of them sprang in for the attack!

* * *

Back at the cafe, Sora and Kairi sat around. No customers have come in yet. It's been a very slow day for them.

"We haven't received any customers yet," Kairi sighed in disappointment.

"We just opened our shop, and we haven't been able to tell everyone about our shop, so it's only natural," Sora reasoned.

Near the entrance, Pluto began barking rapidly, getting Sora's and Kairi's attention.

"What is it, boy?" Sora asked, being on alert.

Pluto led the two teenagers outside of the shop, where they saw Mog sitting on top of their sign. "What is it, Mog?" Kairi asked.

"It's the sign for our new cafe, kupo!" said the excited Mog, "I talked to Lulu about it, and she came up with a name for the cafe, Sacred Hearts! Doesn't the name sound cute?"

"It sure does," Sora said, smiling at the name of their shop.

"Come on in. Welcome to Sacred Hearts," Kairi rehearsed.

"Kairi, you sounded so perfect, kupo!" Mog complimented sweetly.

"Thank you, Mog," said Kairi as she smiled.

Sora couldn't help but smile. Kairi does sound good when she says it. Hearing Kairi's sweet voice and seeing her smile puts a smile on his face.

Kairi noticed Sora smiling. It was just as Riku said.

* * *

_"There __is something you can do for him. Just smile. Your smile is what makes Sora happy."_

* * *

Kairi smiled to herself when she realized Riku was right. "Whenever I smile, Sora is smiling, too," Kairi thought to herself, "And whenever he smiles, I'm happy. It would be so wonderful, if we could go on smiling together forever."

Kairi wished to the stars that that day would one day happen...

* * *

Back with Riku and the others, they continued to fight off the Heartless. Riku's swordsman skills were equal to Sora's, so he was faring rather well. Donald continued to support the group with his magic skills, while Goofy used more of his shield skills to fight off the incoming Heartless.

"This is tough, but it's nothing The Three Stooges can't handle, right?" Riku encouraged the group.

"Riku, you know I don't like that name," Donald stated, as he went to his defensive stance.

The Heartless continued their attacks on the Heartless Extermination Squad. Even in this unusual situation for the group, they can't afford to lose right here...

* * *

_**To be continued…**_


	13. Burning Resolve

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - past_

**Bold - previous parts in chapter **

* * *

**"When did you and I first meet, Sora?" Kairi asked, almost as if she really wanted to know. Sora wasn't sure how to answer her. Remembering his sacrifice, was it right for him to tell her the truth? "I've known you since we're were little, right?" Kairi asked again, "Not only that, but are you someone who is really so important to--"**

**Kairi suddenly gasped as she felt a shocking sensation in her mind, almost as if a small lightning bolt attacked her. Inside her mind, she saw a vague familiar image, before it was eventually washed away from her mind. The shocking sensation made Kairi lose her grip on the metal tray, letting it drop to the ground.**

**"Princess? What's wrong?" Sora asked, concerned at seeing how she suddenly reacted. Kairi felt weakness in her mind, and she suddenly collapsed towards Sora. "Princess!" Sora immediately caught gently in his arms and lowered her gently onto his lap.**

**"What...were we just talking about...just now...?" Kairi asked, weakly. Sora could only frown, when he realized what just happened. "That's right..." Kairi said, "I wanted...to apologize...to you..."**

**Seeing what just happened, this was the most painful reminder of Sora's sacrifice. Sora just wanted to cry. He squeezed Kairi's shoulder, albeit gently, trying to fight back against his frustrations. How much more must he endure this torture? How many times must he be reminded of his sacrifice?**

* * *

**"I'm pretty sure Sora knew this was bound to happen," Riku continued, "Kairi is regaining her memories slowly, every time he retrieves a Fragment. But even if Kairi were to ask Sora about her past, no matter how much Sora wants to, she will never remember anything about her past relationship with him."**

**"It's no wonder why Sora never told her anything about their past," Donald said, realizing the truth.**

**"Still, he's not going to back down from this," said Riku.**

* * *

**Kairi's eyes began to feel heavy after that shock in her mind. "I know...one day...when we retrieve all of my Fragments...I'll be able to remember you. I just know it," Kairi said quietly, before falling asleep in Sora's lap.**

**Sora continued to hold Kairi in his arms, tightening his grip, remembering how sacred vow. "I will retrieve your Fragments," Sora vowed silently to the sleeping Princess, "Even if I'll never be part of your memories again."**

* * *

_**Chapter 13: Burning Resolve**_

* * *

During the evening in Twilight Town, a local bar was about to present their bar singer. People around enjoyed their drinks as the beautiful singer composed herself for her night time song. As she sang the ballad, the people around enjoyed the soothing sound of her voice and the music.

* * *

At Riku's cafe, Sora and Kairi, with the help of Mog and Pluto, were keeping the place clean for any customers that might come in at this time of night. During this time, Sora and Kairi were enjoying each other's company. Although, Kairi would never know it, it was like old times for Sora. In the past, it was mostly him and Kairi spending their time together. Sora realized this is what Riku had in mind when he gave Sora the night off. He had to remember to thank him when he gets back.

* * *

Meanwhile, Riku and the Heartless Extermination Squad continued to fight a barrage of Heartless that tried to ambush them. Riku's swordsmanship skills were superb. He used his agility to dodge incoming attacks coming from the Heartless and struck back against the Heartless.

Goofy continued to use his shield skills to attack and push back the Heartless. Donald's skills in magic were enough to take out a group of Heartless, using his lightning magic.

One claw was about to hit Riku. The silver-haired teenager managed to dodge it in time and jumped onto a lamp post for a safe distance. Unfortunately, he failed to notice one giant Heartless waiting for him. As he turned around, Riku was already hit by a big swipe, making him crash into a wall. Donald and Goofy instantly noticed Riku injured and hurried to his aid. As the Heartless stalked towards the Heartless Extermination Squad, Donald stepped forwards and concentrated deeply, with his magic wand glowing next to him.

"Fantasia!" Donald yelled. Instantly, brilliant lights flashed all around the area, sweeping away any of the remaining Heartless.

As soon as the last Heartless vanished, Donald and Goofy noticed some pieces of their weapons were falling apart. Apparently, their battle managed to wear out their weapons.

"Nice job, guys," Riku praised. The silver-haired teenager tried to stand up, but he winced in pain as he tried to stand up with his left leg. Riku could barely move his left ankle.

Goofy approached Riku and helped him up, using the walk assist technique. "Are you okay, Riku?" he asked.

"I'm alright," Riku replied, "I just sprained my ankle. It's nothing serious. Sorry, Goofy, but it looks like you're going to have to carry me all the way now."

* * *

Back at Riku's cafe, Sora and Kairi sat at a table together, watching the clock ticking away. It was an absolutely slow night for the two teenagers, especially for Mog and Pluto. Pluto took a little nap next to the bar, having nothing to do. Mog sat on Sora's and Kairi's table, humming a song for their enjoyment.

"Riku and the others are awfully late," Kairi sighed, as she looked at the clock.

"Yeah..." Sora responded.

Suddenly, the main entrance opened, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Oh, they're home, kupo!" Mog announced, as he perked up.

Actually, it wasn't Riku and the others. Three teenagers, about Sora's and Kairi's age appeared through the door.

"Sorry for intruding," Olette greeted politely.

"Oh, customers, kupo!" Mog announced happily.

"Welcome to Sacred Hearts," Kairi greeted.

One of the teenagers, a blond, eyed Sora, who, in turn, gave the blond teenager a puzzled look. "Your name Sora?" Haynar questioned.

"Um, yeah, that's me," Sora responded.

"Then you must be pretty strong," Haynar said, as he drew his sword.

Sora immediately went on the defensive, as Haynar began slashing towards the Keyblade master. Sora drew his Keyblade out and began clashing against the attacker.

"Haynar, you shouldn't be doing that!" Pence tried to warn, although in vain.

"Sora!" Kairi yelled in distress.

As Sora defended himself with his Keyblade, he rolled and flipped around dodging Haynar's swords swipes, one of them cutting a table in half. One of the slashes nearly cut Sora on the right side of his face. Dodging that slash, Sora jumped back and landed on the bar, getting ready for another attack.

"Looks like the rumors are true," Haynar said, smirking, "You are pretty good. And I haven't had a hard fight for a long time." Sora tightened his grip on his Keyblade, knowing that Haynar was going to strike again. "All right, time to--"

Before Haynar could attack, he was suddenly hit on the head pretty hard, surprising Sora completely when he saw who stopped the fight. Haynar held his head in pain, after receiving a mean punch.

"How many times to I have to tell you, Haynar, stop making trouble everywhere you go," Paine scolded.

"That hurt, Paine," Haynar said in pain.

"Well, it serves you right," Rikku giggled.

"Well, at least the fighting stopped," mused Pence.

* * *

Kairi, with the help of Pluto, served the Gullwings and the teenagers some mocha, along with some cheesecake for them. Rikku, apparently, developed a sweet tooth because of Riku's baked goods, and anxiously wanted to try the cheesecake.

"We're sorry about the way Haynar acted," Olette apologized.

"It's okay," assured Kairi.

"You guys are also the Heartless Extermination Squad, aren't you, kupo?" asked Mog.

"Yeah, our group name is the 'Twilight Kids,'" replied Pence.

"Please don't blame Haynar," Yuna spoke, "When I told him and his friends that a new cafe opened, I also mentioned that there were strong people here."

Rikku gladly took a bite out of her cheesecake, obviously enjoying the taste. "Haynar couldn't pass up the chance to spar with a strong opponent."

Behind the group, Haynar was put to work, putting in a new table. Penance for cutting one of their tables in half.

"I hope you enjoy this," Kairi said, as she served some cheesecake to Olette.

"Thank you," Olette obliged. As she took a bite of the cake, a look of surprised satisfaction appeared on her face. "Wow! Yuna, you were right. Their dessert is good! Did you make this?" asked the happy Olette.

"Oh, no, my friend Riku was the one who made it," Kairi said, smiling to the fact that Olette like their baked goods.

Haynar sighed in disappointment as he set the table down. "Aw, man, I'm going to miss the good stuff," Haynar whined.

"Don't worry, there's plenty to go around," Sora assured Haynar.

"That was some crazy skills you got there, Sora," Haynar praised, as he leaned against the new table, "Although, your reaction on your right side is slow, but other than that, you got skills."

"Oh, no, I'm not that good," Sora said, half smiling.

* * *

In a local bar, Riku and the Heartless Extermination Squad spoke to a female bartender.

"Oh, Miss Quistis sent you?" the bartender asked in surprise.

"Yeah, she did, Miss," replied Goofy.

"We're here to meet someone who has information about the Heartless' recent activities," Riku explained to the bartender.

"Oh, is that so?" the female bartender said, "Well, I'm afraid I can't help you there."

"What? Why not?" Donald demanded impatiently.

"The person has left for the night. You'll have to come back earlier next time." the bartender said, as she eyed the stage in which the singer performed on.

* * *

Sora and Haynar finished installing the new table and draped a table cloth over it. The table looked just like new, while the table Haynar destroyed had been disposed of.

"You're pretty fast on your feet, Sora. You're a pretty good fighter," Haynar continued to praise Sora's abilities.

"Thanks, but if I went on fighting like that, I probably would have lost," Sora said, scratching his head.

"You should leave facts like those out," advised Haynar, "A win is a win, and a loss is a loss. It's as simple as that," Haynar lectured.

"I understand," Sora said politely.

"By the way, you don't have to talk politely to me," said the slightly annoyed Haynar, "We just became friends, so don't like that." Sora was surprised by Haynar's request. They have just met, and Haynar was already requesting that Sora just talked normally to the blond teenager. "Let's spar again sometime, okay?" Haynar held out his hand to Sora, who willingly shook hands with his new friend.

"Yes, er, sure!" Sora said, as he shook hands with Haynar.

"I look forward to a good match," Haynar smiled.

Sora went to bar, inviting Haynar over. As Haynar took his seat, next to his Heartless Extermination Squad members, Sora brought out a cup of mocha and a small plate of cheesecake for him.

The Gullwings happily enjoyed their dessert. Although, out of the three ladies, Rikku was the one enjoying the dessert the most, thanks to her sweet tooth.

"Recently, I just defeated a B-5 Heartess," Haynar told Sora proudly.

"Really? I haven't gotten that far, yet," said Sora.

"Paine just got a level above me though, at her place," Haynar said, facing Paine.

"It was nothing," Paine said in her usual tone.

"I think you could have defeated it, though," Pence said, "I guess, if you're lucky enough, you'll be able to encounter one of those Heartless."

Olette took another bite out of her cheesecake, and apparently, like Rikku, she had developed a sweet tooth, thanks to the dessert. "Mmm! This cake is so good!" Olette said happily, "Can I please have another?"

"Yeah, me, too!" Haynar said excitedly.

"Here you go." Sora offered another plate of cheesecake for Haynar.

Haynar held a disappointed look on his face when he saw only one slice of cheesecake. "Aw, come on, this isn't enough!" Haynar whined, "Make it two."

"All right," Sora obliged politely.

"Sora, I said don't talk to politely to me," complained Haynar.

"Sorry, store policy," Sora tried to reason, "You're our customer."

Kairi couldn't help but smile on how well Sora and Haynar were getting along so well. To her eyes, Sora probably has the most kindest heart she has ever seen, and she couldn't be more proud of his unconditional kindness.

Haynar took a bite out of his cheesecake and held a happy look on his face. "Man, this is good stuff!" Haynar exclaimed happily.

"I'm glad you like it," Sora commented politely.

"Sora, what did I just say?" Haynar complained again.

"Right, sorry," he apologized.

Kairi and Olette watched as the two young male teenagers interacted with one another. "Those two are getting along so well," Olette commented as she watched Sora and Haynar.

"I agree," Kairi replied.

"You know what? I want to become friends, too," Olette confessed, "...with you, Kairi." Kairi was caught completely off-guard when she heard Olette's confession. "How about it? Do you want to be friends?"

Kairi was touched by how nice Olette is. "I'd be happy to," Kairi replied, smiling to her new friend.

* * *

The Gullwings and the Twilight Kids enjoyed the last of their desserts. Around the bar, plates and empty cups were scattered around. Although, washing the dishes wasn't going to be too much of a problem for Sora and Kairi.

"Man, that was some good stuff," Haynar sighed in happiness, "I'm practically stuffed."

"Well, time for you to pay the bill," Rikku said to Haynar.

"What!? Why me!?" Haynar demanded.

"You were the one who almost destroyed everything, if Paine hadn't come by," Rikku lectured.

"Sorry, Haynar, but Rikku has a point," Yuna reasoned, "You have to pay for the damages."

"Sorry, buddy, but I have to agree with the Gullwings on this one," Pence apologized.

"Me, too," Olette joined in.

"Man, whose side are you guys on?" Haynar sighed in defeat. Haynar took a blue orb from his pocket and tossed it to Pence.

Pence caught the blue orb and handed it over to Mog. "Here's the pay," offered Pence.

"Thank you, kupo!" Mog said, as he happily took the blue orb to the cash register.

"Please come again," Kairi said to the Exterminators.

"Listen, Haynar, I don't mind you looking for strong people," Paine began to lecture, "But you also need the strength to judge the situation when you pick your fights."

"I got it, I got it," sighed Haynar, "I was just testing myself. There's a lot this world has in store for me and I haven't even seen even a little bit of that. Besides, I just like meeting strong guys." Sora smiled, knowing that Haynar had acknowledged his strength.

"Which reminds me, did you hear about those rumors?" Paine asked her group.

"Yes, I heard it from Quistis from the Information Center," replied Yuna.

"Is it about the Heartless' recent activities?" asked Pence.

Hearing this caught Sora's attention. Sora could assume that the Heartless' recent activities might have something to do with the Princess's Heart Fragment. This might be a clue to the whereabouts of the Heart Fragment.

* * *

Outside of the cafe, someone was watching from afar on a tree, wearing a hat that hid his face in the shadows.

"Hello, Sora," the man said. The man then waved his right hand around, causing a swarm of dark creatures to appear around, outside of the cafe.

* * *

Mog suddenly sensed something ominous and looked outside the window. Pluto also sensed something amiss and began growling at the door, alerting Sora. The Exterminators got their weapons in hand. They knew what was outside of the cafe.

"We've got company," Paine said, as she tightened her grip on her sword.

"Heartless." Olette recognized the presence, as she tightened her grip on her handgun.

The Heartless Extermination Squadrons rushed outside of the cafe, and encountered a group of Heartless, already attacking them on sight. Yuna and Olette went back to back and opened fire upon the Heartless that surrounded the girls.

Using his natural speed, Haynar slashed through some of the Heartless, effectively eliminating a stream of the dark creatures, while Paine used an almost inhuman speed to take down a big group.

Pence was a natural at long distance attacks and used darts to fight off against the Heartless. Rikku was very agile when it came to knives and took down her share of the Heartless.

"I think these are B-4 Heartless," Pence observed as he got his darts ready.

"Now this is what I'm talking about." Haynar was excited by this challenge. One Heartless charged at the blond teenager. With one hard downward slash, Haynar's sword emitted a beam of energy, vanquishing the Heartless.

Suddenly, after the B-4 Heartless were gone, another Heartless appeared. This time, it was a different one. A larger one.

"That can't be!" Yuna said in completely astonishment, "B-3 Heartless aren't grouped with B-4 Heartless."

As Haynar eyed the new Heartless, he failed to see one of its tendrils aiming for him. Fortunately, Sora appeared in front of Haynar and blocked the incoming attack with his Keyblade. Kairi was also outside, to make sure Sora isn't hurt.

"Thanks, Sora. I owe you one," Haynar thanked.

Another attack came after the two. Sora and Haynar successfully dodged the attack, but unfortunately, for Sora, because of his disability, he failed to see a tendril wrap itself on Sora's right ankle. With the tendril on his ankle, the Heartless forced Sora down into the ground, making Sora wince in pain as he hit the ground hard.

"Sora!" Kairi yelled in distress.

Olette grabbed Kairi's arms, trying to get her back in the cafe. "Kairi, you can't stay here! It's not safe!" Olette reasoned, as she tried to get Kairi in the cafe.

"But, Sora..." Kairi said, as she continued to watch Sora being helplessly thrown around.

Thankfully, Sora was freed when Haynar slashed the tendril off of Sora's right ankle. "You okay?" Haynar asked, as he checked Sora's condition.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Sora said as he picked himself up.

"Let's finish this!" Rikku announced to everyone, readying herself with her knives.

The Exterminators charged at the Heartless, ready to deliver the blow. The giant Heartless, however, seemed to ignore them and suddenly turned its attention towards Kairi, who was standing away from the fight. Kairi gasped in fear as the Heartless was now facing her. Rikku noticed this. "Run away!" Rikku yelled.

Kairi then tried to make a run for it into the cafe. Unfortunately, the Heartless managed to grab the Princess's ankle with its tendrils. The Heartless pulled its tendrils back, making the Princess scream as she fell to the ground. Then, using another one of its tendrils, the Heartless was about to strike the Princess. "Look out!" Out of nowhere, Sora dove in, heroically taking the painful sensation of a whip on his back. The hit knocked Sora off to the side, leaving the distressed Princess to watch her friend in pain.

She didn't have time to tend to Sora as the Heartless began to drag her towards itself. "Sora, help!" Kairi yelled, as he tried to get free.

"Princess!" Sora was helpless due to the pain he was still suffering.

As the Heartless lunged itself towards the helpless Princess, Kairi gasped and shut her eyes tightly and looked away, not wanting to look. Fortunately, she was saved by the untimely intervention from the Exterminators, who attacked the Heartless all at once, effectively defeating the Heartless once and for all.

* * *

Sora and Kairi sat on the steps, as the Princess tended to Sora's injuries, with Pluto handing her some bandages.

"Are you okay, Sora?" asked the concerned Mog.

Sora held a guilty look on his face as Kairi wrapped some bandages around his injuries. Sora felt so powerless to help Kairi, after seeing her in danger. "If only I was strong enough," Sora thought to himself, "Kairi wouldn't have been in danger if I had done something." Sora continued to watch Kairi tend to his injuries. Kairi held no ill will to him being not able to do anything, but that didn't really ease Sora's guilt. "I'm so sorry, Princess," Sora apologized.

"Why are you apologizing?" Kairi asked, as she finished wrapping a bandage on Sora's wrist.

"I wasn't strong enough to do anything out there," Sora confessed sadly, "You were put in harm's way."

Kairi, always being the gentle girl that she is, placed a comforting hand on Sora's shoulder. "Don't say that, Sora," Kairi encouraged gently, "You did your best."

"Man, I couldn't even defeat that Heartless!" Haynar whined.

"It's not because you weren't strong enough," Olette reasoned.

"Olette's right," said Yuna, "That Heartless was very unusual. Even though they're from the same class, a Heartless from a higher level would never join a Heartless at a different level."

"And not just that," Rikku spoke up, "That Heartless turned its attention to Kairi."

Sora and Kairi also realized that. Why would the Heartless suddenly ignore the Exterminators and go after Kairi? "That just doesn't make sense," said Pence.

As everyone pondered about this mystery, Sora placed his hand on his blind right eye. "This right eye is just making things complicated," Sora thought to himself, "I have to do something to fix this problem...or else...Kairi will end up in even more danger. And she might not be so lucky next time..."

* * *

Unknown to the group, the mysterious man continued to watch from afar on a tree. He paid particular attention to Sora holding his right eye. "You're still rusty whenever your being attacked on your right side," the man said, observing Sora, before he disappears into the night.

* * *

Back at the cafe, Riku, Donald, and Goofy had finally returned from their evening trip. Goofy helped Riku stand, due to Riku's injured ankle. Riku also carried a big bag with him, though Sora and Kairi was unsure what was in it.

"We're back!" Riku announced. Riku then noticed that Sora and Kairi have found themselves some new customers.

"You must be Riku," Olette said, coming up to Riku, "Your cafe is so great! Not only did we get good food and drinks, but I also made friends with your waitress."

"That's good to hear," Riku smiled, "I'm glad you like our cafe."

"We'll be sure to stop by," Pence announced.

* * *

Late that evening, Sora helped Riku into the cafe, leaving Donald and Goofy to relax at the dining tables around the place. Sora helped provide some first aid to Riku's injured ankle.

"That oughta do it," Sora said as he finished bandaging Riku's ankle.

"Thanks Sora. And thanks for watching the shop with the Princess, too," Riku thanked.

"Mog and Pluto worked hard, too, kupo!" Mog announced on top of Riku's head.

"This person who knows about the Heartless' activities, did this person know anything?" asked Sora.

"Well, we weren't able to meet up that person, so we'll try again another time," informed Donald.

"I see..." Sora sighed in disappointment.

"But we do have a consolation prize," Riku said, picking up the big bag and laying in on the table. Riku surprised Sora, Kairi, and Mog with the contents in the bag, bottles of liquor. "The bartender offered it to us as a token of appreciation. Let's try it out."

* * *

Later that evening, Kairi, Riku, Mog, and Goofy enjoyed the drinks. One could tell how much they might have consumed due to the redness in Kairi's, Riku's, Mog's and Goofy's cheeks.

"The bar was pretty nice," Riku slurred, "Not to mention a cute bartender."

"Really?" Kairi sang.

Donald watched the four in their drunken state, and shook his head in disapproval. "Next time, don't bring those things, Riku," Donald said with a stern face.

"You know what? I also mentioned our cafe," said the slurred Riku, "But we don't have a name."

"We couldn't think of a name until Mog told us, kupo!" Kairi said, as if she were imitating Mog.

"Mog told Lulu, and she came up with Sacred Hearts, kupo!" Mog said happily, although in a drunken state.

"Wow! That's a good name," Goofy chuckled uncontrollably.

"Yeah! Let's celebrate!" Kairi happily announced.

Donald, not wanting to hear any more of their drunken behavior, met up with Sora, who was sitting on the steps of their cafe shop at the front door. In Sora's hands, he held a cup of liquor, which looked like it was untouched.

"You're not drunk, right?" Donald asked, being cautious.

"Donald..." Sora spoke up.

"What is it?" asked Donald.

"I've realized that the Heartless here are getting stronger and stronger, and using my Keyblade alone isn't enough," Sora realized.

"I agree," Donald nodded.

"Can you teach me magic?" asked the determined Sora.

"Do you want to learn magic for your survival?" Donald asked, testing his friend.

"It's so I can finish what I've decided to do," Sora answered.

Donald saw the determination in Sora's eyes. Riku was right. Sora was not going to back down from his personal mission. Sora would do anything to find Kairi's Heart Fragments, even if Sora must learn magic to do so. "Magic is not an easy thing to learn, but I'll do everything I can to help you," said Donald.

Sora smiled in appreciation. Donald smiled, thinking he was going to be thanked for his knowledge in magic, but much to his surprise, he found Sora bowing down in front of someone else.

"Thank you very much," Sora said, bowing in front of a sleeping Pluto.

"Sora, you're drunk, too!?" Donald yelled, "And you guys! No more drinking!" Donald yelled some more at the four people, who were singing a song for their "celebration."

"Okay, show me how it's done!" Sora said, getting himself ready to try to cast magic.

"Settle down!" Donald continued to yell.

Sora began thrusting his hands around, trying to cast magic, with obviously nothing coming out. "Is it like this? How about this? Did anything come out?" Sora asked Donald, as he thrusts his hands out.

Kairi, Riku, Mog, and Goofy continued to sing their little song in a drunken state, while having themselves some more drinks. Things were going out of control for Donald, who was getting more and more impatiently as he saw his friends doing all kinds of stupid things.

"THAT'S IT!! GO TO YOU ROOMS!!" Donald roared to everyone so loud, one could hear him outside of the cafe.

* * *

In the late evening, the mysterious man sat on the clock tower of Twilight Town, which stood tall above the train station. The man looked at the peaceful moon as Twilight Town was soundly asleep. Just who is this mysterious man? What is he after? And was is his connection to Sora?

* * *

_**To be continued…**_


	14. The Song of Sorrow

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - past_

**Bold - previous parts in chapter **

* * *

**"I've realized that the Heartless here are getting stronger and stronger, and using my Keyblade alone isn't enough," Sora realized.**

**"I agree," Donald nodded.**

**"Can you teach me magic?" asked the determined Sora.**

**"Do you want to learn magic for your survival?" Donald asked, testing his friend.**

**"It's so I can finish what I've decided to do," Sora answered.**

**Donald saw the determination in Sora's eyes. Riku was right. Sora was not going to back down from his personal mission. Sora would do anything to find Kairi's Heart Fragments, even if Sora must learn magic to do so. "Magic is not an easy thing to learn, but I'll do everything I can to help you," said Donald.**

* * *

**In the late evening, the mysterious man sat on the clock tower of Twilight Town, which stood tall above the train station. The man looked at the peaceful moon as Twilight Town was soundly asleep. Just who is this mysterious man? What is he after? And was is his connection to Sora?**

* * *

_**Chapter 14: The Song of Sorrow**_

* * *

Sora, Donald, and Goofy ate their breakfast peacefully, courtesy of Riku, who was just cured of his hangover. Kairi was still in the back, having a cup of coffee to help her hangover. The Heartless Extermination Squad were eating a traditional breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacons, and breakfast sausages, complete with some orange juice.

"Eat up, you guys!" Mog cheered for the three, "You're going to need lots and lots of energy, kupo!"

"Considering that you're also going to have yourself a little exercise, Sora," added Riku.

"The food is pretty good. Thanks, Riku," said Sora.

"Happy to help," replied Riku.

"Time to go, Sora," Goofy reminded as he patted his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"We've got a lot of work to do," said Donald as he got out of his chair and headed out the door.

Sora and Goofy followed after Donald to start not only their daily rounds of Heartless Exterminating, but to help Sora learn magic as early as possible.

"What kind of exercise is Sora going to do, kupo?" Mog asked out of curiosity.

Riku reached below the counter, looking for something. "Sora is going to learn how to use magic, so he can finish what he started: look for Kairi's Heart Fragments. Oh, here it is!" Riku stood up straight again as he finally found three lunch boxes from below the counter.

"What are those, kupo?" Mog asked again.

"Just some lunch for the trio, since they're going to be working hard today," answered Riku.

Mog wondered why Riku never gave them their lunches. Mog was sure Riku wouldn't have been able to forget to give the Exterminators their food. "Why did you forget to give it to them?"

As if on cue, Kairi came out from her room, apparently cured from her hangover. "Good morning, everyone!" Kairi greeted.

"Good morning, Princess," Riku greeted back, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better, thank you," Kairi responded politely.

"You were sure having fun last night, kupo! We were singing happy songs together!" Mog said happily. Kairi felt so silly about what happened last night that she giggled at Mog's news.

"By the way, can I ask you a favor?" asked Riku.

"Sure, what is it?" Kairi asked.

* * *

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were not far away from the cafe shop. They were looking forward to Sora's magic lessons. Although it was for the sake of helping his friend, Sora was kind of excited to learn some magic spells, especially from Donald.

"Sora!"

Sora and his friends turned around, and found Kairi, with Mog on her shoulder, running towards them with three lunch boxes in her hands.

"Riku forgot to give this to you. These are your lunches for this afternoon," Kairi informed as she handed the lunch boxes to Sora.

"Thank you, Princess," Sora obliged as he received their lunches.

"Where are you off to this early in the morning?" asked the Princess.

Sora didn't want to worry Kairi too much and decided to keep this magic lesson on the down-low for now. "It's nothing big," Sora assured.

"Really...?" said Kairi.

"Sora is going to learn some magic," Goofy blurted.

"Is this true, Sora?" Kairi asked, realizing Sora's true intentions.

Though Sora was disappointed in Goofy blurting out the truth, he also realized that sooner or later, Kairi would have eventually found out. "Yeah," Sora replied.

"Why?" Kairi wasn't sure why Sora would rise to this kind of challenge.

"Riku said it was so he can finish what he started, kupo!" Mog blurted, then hopping onto Sora's shoulder.

"Finish what you started? What do you mean?" Kairi questioned.

"To look for your Heart Fragments," Sora answered. Kairi was surprised to realize that Sora was rising to this challenge for the sake of her precious Heart Fragments.

"He's doing all this for me," Kairi thought to herself in realization, "He's been working so hard to help me, just like everyone else. I want to work just as hard as they are, no matter what. I have to do my best for everyone."

"Not just that, but I'm also learning magic for myself," Sora finished.

"Just be careful, okay?" Kairi cautioned just as anyone would for the person they cared for.

"I will," said Sora.

Donald and Goofy went on ahead to leave the two teenagers alone, knowing that Sora will catch up to them afterwards.

Sora and Kairi then looked up into the sky. There were some clouds in the sky, but that did not block the beautiful sun that continued to shine brightly over Twilight Town. Sora and Kairi enjoyed how beautiful the sunlight was. Seeing how beautiful the sun was placed a smile on their faces.

* * *

Around Twilight Town, Sora and his friends looked on their map and at the shop back and forth, making sure it was the right place of their destination.

"This must be the place," Sora noted.

Sora and the Exterminators entered the building, where they found a variety of weapons placed around. This was most likely a weapons shop.

"We need weapons," Donald said to a man around the late 30s or early 40s.

"Welcome to O'aka's. I'm O'aka XXIII, merchant extraordinaire," O'aka greeted to the Exterminators, "So, you need a weapon, mate?"

"For me and my big friend," Donald said, referring to Goofy as well.

"You're registered Heartless Exterminators, right?" questioned O'aka.

"Yup, we're registered all right," Goofy replied.

"Then, have I got just the thing for you." O'aka presented Donald and Goofy their respective weapons. Donald received a unique looking staff, just as Goofy received a unique looking shield. "Much to your likings, I trust?"

"How would you know that?" Goofy asked as he inspected his shield.

"My friend, I've been selling weapons when I was just a lad," O'aka said proudly, "I named that staff the Shaman's Relic. And I named that shield the Knight Defender."

"I like them already," Donald said, taking a liking in his staff.

"Glad to hear that, mate!" O'aka said happily, "Now, about your payment..."

"What!? We have to pay now!?" demanded Donald, as he was being held back by Goofy.

"Here it is." Sora presented their blue orb to O'aka, who immediately began to process of receiving their payment.

"A little friendly warning, mates...O'aka XXIII never gives discounts!" O'aka stated bluntly.

* * *

Sora, Donald, and Goofy sat in a local park on a bench. Unfortunately, Donald was still fuming about O'aka asking for their immediate payment.

"That man tricked us," grumbled Donald.

"Yeah, but with your new magic staff, I'll be able to learn some powerful spells with my Keyblade," noted Sora.

"But first things first," announced Donald. Concentrating, Donald's hands began to glow until he projected a magical light around Sora. The magic light surrounded Sora's body until his body ceased to glow.

"What was that just now?" asked Sora as he checked his body for any strange changes.

"Donald put a magic spell on you," Goofy explained.

"This magic spell will prevent you from ever using magic," Donald further explained, "Magic isn't just powerful, but it's also a dangerous thing to use. Anyone who has no experience with magic will end up unnecessarily destroying things."

Hearing this, Sora realized that Donald was right. Despite Donald's bad temper, he was also very wise when it comes to the use of magic spells.

"For example, an inexperienced person could end up hurting himself with magic," Donald continued explaining.

"Or worst, you could end up hurting the things you're trying to protect," Goofy finished.

"That spell will not wear off, until your heart knows its truly ready to wield magic," said Donald.

"I understand," said Sora.

"Let's get a move on," announced Goofy, "We've got a lot of work to do to help you use magic."

"Yeah." Sora followed after Donald and Goofy further in Twilight Town's local park.

* * *

Back at the Sacred Hearts Cafe, a pickup truck was parked outside. Inside the cafe, a young man helped install a giant object draped in a white cloth in the middle of their cafe.

"All right then!" Wantz sighed in relief, "Is this spot okay, mate?"

"That's perfect," replied Riku.

"Good to hear. Please sign here," Wantz requested as he handed a clipboard to Riku. While Riku was signing on Wantz's clipboard, Wantz couldn't help but eye Kairi, who gave him a puzzled look. "She's awfully cute..." Wantz thought to himself, smiling at Kairi's beauty.

"All right, all done," Riku said, handing the clipboard to Wantz.

"Thanks, mate. Thank you for shopping O'aka's!" Wantz said as Kairi walked him to the door.

Kairi looked off to see the what Riku had bought for the cafe. "What is this?"

Riku swiftly removed the cloth to reveal a find grand piano. "It's a piano. I found this in the shopping district and I just had to buy it." Riku then took a seat in front of the piano, composing himself.

"Do you know how to play it?" asked Mog.

Behind Kairi, Pluto came up, wanting to hear Riku's unexpected performance with the musical instrument. Kairi wanted to hear as well, seeing as how Riku is talented in art and cooking. Perhaps Riku also has a talent for music.

Riku composed himself for his piece. Unfortunately, for everyone, Riku only hit a few keys, earning himself some surprised disappointments. The silver-haired teenager chuckled out of embarrassment after he received their reactions. "I also bought this piano for the cafe to make it livelier," Riku explained, "Good idea, don't you think?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Twilight Town park, Sora stood on some rocks in the park's lake. During Sora's training Goofy threw some rocks at Sora, who is supposed to dodge every rock and not receive even a tiny scratch while keeping his footing on the rocks. Sora was successful in dodging a few rocks, but failed to notice one more incoming rock. Sora barely dodged it in time, but he lost his balance on the rocks and fell into the lake.

"Donald's right. Your eyesight is different," Goofy noted to Sora as he returned to Donald and Goofy.

"I don't know why my right eye..." said Sora.

"That's not it," Donald interrupted, "Your reaction time on the right is slow, because you always see things with your left and you react too quick on that side."

"You're relying too much on your left eyesight," Goofy lectured.

Sora realized they were right. It all makes sense. His reaction times are out of balance because of his eyesights.

"Magic will be useless to you if you don't improve your reaction time," Donald lectured to Sora.

"Then let me try again," said the determined Sora.

* * *

At the Sacred Hearts Cafe, business has been blooming for everyone. Pluto helped served the customers drinks and desserts, with Kairi taking their orders. Riku and Mog did the cooking and took care billing the customers.

"Two slices of strawberry mille-feuille and two cups of cappacino," Kairi said, writing the orders down in her notepad, "We'll have your order up in just a moment."

Riku and Mog noticed that Kairi as been more active than usual today. Kairi seems to be working harder than she usually does.

"Excuse me, Miss! I'm ready to order!"

"Coming!" the Princess called out to her customer, and then heading there.

"Kairi's working very hard today," Riku noticed as he watches Kairi working.

"Kairi is amazing, kupo!" Mog cheered.

"I wonder why she's more active than usual," pondered Riku.

"One herbal tea, please," a customer requested.

"Coming right up!" Kairi said with enthusiasm, after writing the order down.

* * *

In a local bar, a mysterious woman sat silently in the closed bar.

"This is strange..." the woman said to herself, "Why do I feel a strange power within Twilight Town?"

* * *

Two more customers entered the Sacred Hearts Cafe, with Kairi ready to greet them.

"Welcome to Sacred Hearts!" Kairi greeted a cheery courtesy, "How may I take your order?"

"We'd like one slice of sachertorte and one cup of French vanilla mocha, please," a kind gentleman requested.

"I'll just have a cup of latte," a cold-looking man request.

"Coming right up!" said Kairi.

Kairi took their order and gave it to Riku, who immediately went to work. The two customers took their seats and waited patiently for their orders. After Riku was finished, Pluto balanced the tray on his head and delivered the customers' orders to them.

The kind gentleman took a bite out of his chocolate cake, and much to his satisfaction, it was very delicious. "This is execellent!" the gentleman praised.

"Even their latte is pretty good, too. The rumors about this cafe were true," the cold-looking man noted.

Kairi then approached the two men. "Excuse me, sir."

"What is it?" asked the cold-looking man.

"Can I have a moment of your time?" Kairi asked politely.

"Of course, Miss. What can we help you with?" asked the kind gentleman.

Riku and Mog noticed Kairi talking to the men. "What's Kairi up to?" Riku asked himself.

"Legends?" asked the cold-looking man.

"Yes," the Princess replied.

"Are you researching legends, Young Miss?" asked the kind gentleman.

"Yes. I'm doing a school project and I'm trying to gather information about strange mysterious events that might have occurred in this town," Kairi explained, knowing that part of it wasn't true, "Does anything come to mind?"

"Well, now that you mentioned it..." the cold-looking man said.

"Now I see," Riku realized, "Kairi is working on her mission, too."

"What do you mean by that, kupo?" asked Mog.

"She's collecting any information about her Heart Fragments," answered Riku, "She's making the best of her time here. That's why she's working so hard today."

"Thank you very much, sir," Kairi said, bowing with courtesy.

"You're very welcome, Miss."

Kairi continued her job and her information gathering on the customers. She approached a couple of women who are talking to each other and enjoying their tea. "Excuse me, ma'am. I'd like to ask you something about any legends here in Twilight Town."

Mog noticed that Kairi was so much enthusiastic than usual. And not only that, but she seems to be smiling as she doing her job. "She seems to be having fun, too!" Mog said happily.

"That's because she knows what she must do," commented Riku.

* * *

Sora's training continued. This time, instead of using rocks, Donald used some ice magic projectiles at Sora. Sora still had to continue dodging the ice attacks while keeping his footing on the rocks. Sora twirled around, dodging a barrage of ice attacks. However, because of his disability, he failed to notice one more ice rock heading towards the right side of his head. With the failure to act fast, the ice hit Sora in his right temple, knocking him off the rock and into the lake.

Donald sighed in disappointment that Sora was still relying on his eyesight.

Sora rose back up to the surface and climbed back up on the rock.

"Don't use your eyesight, Sora!" Goofy called out.

"Use your feelings instead," Donald called out.

"I got it!" said Sora.

* * *

In Riku's cafe, Kairi and Mog cleaned the store up together. All the customers have left for the day. Riku emerged from the back, with Pluto accompanying him.

"Are you going out?" asked Kairi.

"Yeah, I have to go out and get some more supplies for our shop," explained Riku.

"But what about your leg?" asked the concerned Princess.

Riku's injured leg he suffered from the Heartless last night was still not fully healed. "Don't worry, I already had a doctor take a look at it. Besides, I have Pluto to help me, just in case," Riku assured, "Have fun watching the shop while I'm gone."

"Sure. Take care, you two," Kairi bid to them.

Riku and Pluto walked out of the shop together to do their own shopping.

In the cafe, Kairi and Mog waited for more customers to enter the shop. Unfortunately, no one else came in for the rest of the afternoon.

"There's no one else coming in, kupo," Mog noted.

"Yeah..." Kairi said, disappointed.

"For some reason, I'm getting all sleep all of a sudden..." Mog said tiredly, before falling back softly on the counter and dozing off, "Kupo...kupo..." Mog said sleepily.

Kairi could only smile at the white creature's adorable behavior.

* * *

Time passed and there were still no more customers. Kairi looked out the window and saw the sun starting to set. "I wonder if Sora is okay," Kairi thought to herself, "I hope he doesn't get hurt in his training. And I hope he comes home, soon. The night is almost going to fall soon."

Kairi turned around and eyed the piano that Riku bought for the shop. Curiosity overcame Kairi and she opened the cover for the piano keys. Kairi wasn't sure if she's ever seen a piano before, but she was curious to know how it works. Hitting a key gently, she heard a sound that she's heard before. Although it wasn't quite accurate, there was something about this sound. Playing it again, she was captivated by that same sound. It sounded so familiar. Where did she hear this sound before?

"It sounds so beautiful..." Kairi said to herself.

Then, someone emerged from the front door. Turning around, Kairi found a woman, probably in her mid-to-late 30s, dressed in black, with a unique headdress.

"Welcome to Sacred Hearts!" Kairi greeted politely.

* * *

At sunset, in the Sacred Hearts Cafe, the woman was busy writing on some sheets of paper. Next to her was an empty cup of tea, with some eaten biscuits. As she was writing something down, Kairi approached her with another cup of tea for the woman.

"Here you are, Ma'am." Kairi placed the cup of tea next to the woman.

"Thank you very much," the woman politely obliged. Kairi then noticed the sheets of paper in front of the woman. They were music notes. "I've been writing a song," the woman said as she noticed Kairi eying the piece.

"A song?" asked the Princess.

"May I use your piano?" the woman requested.

"Huh? Oh, of course!" the Princess said.

The woman walked over to the piano and opened the casing for the keys. "This piano is splendid," the woman noted, "It's no good to use it as just plain decoration." The woman traced her fingers across the keys, enjoying the feeling of newly made piano keys. "My name is Edea. What is your name?"

"Um...Kairi..." replied the reluctant Kairi.

"What a beautiful name," Edea complimented, "I see. Well then, Kairi, I'd like to hear you song."

"But, I don't know any songs," Kairi tried to refuse.

"That is quite all right," reassured Edea, "The seas of Twilight Town are very tranquil, just like you. Like a mirror, a song will reflect your entire being."

Edea played a note. Suddenly, when hearing this note, it captivated Kairi completely. She suddenly found herself in some sort of trance.

"Where are you from, Kairi? Why are you here?" Edea played the same note, and the Princess was still captivated by that same familiar tone. "Where will you go after this? What is the most important thing to you?"

"My...most...important thing..." Kairi said in a trance, before closing her eyes slowly, as if in deep thought.

Edea sat herself down on the chair and composed herself. Then, she began playing a sort of slow ballad, with a tone of sadness in the music. Then...the Princess began to sing in the music...

**My heart was swimming  
in words gathered by the wind  
My voice bounded  
into a cloud-carried tomorrow**

As Edea listened to Kairi's beautiful singing, she began to have visions with something about Kairi. She saw how she spent her times with a spiky-haired boy. A boy named Sora. They were both watching doves fly away in their home world, Destiny Islands. Edea witnessed how Kairi comforted Sora's burned hand and his guilty feelings for his father. She also witnessed how she gave Sora his birthday and how they both spent their birthdays together.

**My heart trembled  
in the moon-swayed mirror  
Soft tears  
spilled with a stream of stars**

**Isn't it beautiful?  
If we could walk, hand in hand,  
I'd want to go  
to your town, your home, in your arms**

**I dream of being  
against your chest  
my body is your keeping  
disappearing into the evening**

Edea continued to see more of Kairi's happy memories with Sora, where she gave him a flower crown, marking the beginning of Sora's great friendship with the Princess. She witnessed how Kairi helped Sora and his father become closer, after a few simple words.

**Words halted by wind are  
a gentle illusion  
A tomorrow torn by clouds is  
the voice of a distant place**

**My heart that had been  
in a moon-blurred mirror that flowed  
Those stars that trembled and spilled  
cannot hide my tears**

Then, Edea found out where it marked her turning point, when she lost all of her Heart Fragments. When she got two of her Fragments back, the first person she saw was Sora. However, when she first laid eyes on him, she know longer remembered who he was.

**Isn't it beautiful?  
If we could walk, hand in hand  
I'd want to go  
to your town, your home, in your arms**

**My dream of  
your face  
that I softly touch  
melts in the morning**

Tears began to leak from Kairi's eyes after singing the last words of the sorrowful song. "Why am I crying?" Kairi asked herself, as she felt her body getting weaker.

After the song, Kairi's body began to feel limp. The Princess's eyes grew heavy and she fell forward. Edea gently caught Kairi and carried her to the sofa. Edea gently laid the Princess's sleeping body on the sofa and saw herself out the door.

"I understand you very well, Kairi," Edea said silently as she walked out of the cafe, "I'm sure we'll meet again..."

* * *

Later that evening, Riku and Pluto returned from their errands. Riku placed a sign outside of their shop, signaling that they are closed for the night.

Riku, Kairi, and Mog cleaned the remaining dishes and utensils, while Pluto treated himself to a well-deserved sleep.

"Thanks for watching the shop, you two," said the grateful Riku.

"Mog was sleeping the whole time, so no need to thank me, kupo!" said the happy Mog.

Kairi was disturbed for part of the night as she cleaned the tables. She vaguely remembered singing a song, but she never knew why she was crying. What was it in that song that made her cry in the first place?

Kairi then saw the door open, knowing it's Sora and the Exterminators. "Welcome ho--, Sora!" Kairi was shocked to see Sora having a few scratches and a few tears in his clothes.

"Sora is cut all over, kupo!" Mog announced.

"Did you guys fight some Heartless?" asked Riku.

"No, no Heartless today," answered Sora, "I'm going to get changed." Sora headed straight to his room to get himself some cleaned up.

Seeing Sora in his condition made Kairi feel so worrisome for her friend.

"Here, Princess. Why don't you take care of him?" Riku offered, showing her a box of the first-aid kit.

"Sure," the Princess gladly obliged.

* * *

With the first-aid kit in hand, Kairi entered Sora's bedroom with Mog on top of her head, where she found the young teenager on his bed.

"Sora?" Kairi called softly, approaching Sora.

Mog hopped onto Sora's bed and checked up on him. "Sora is sleeping, kupo," Mog whispered.

"He must have been very tired," commented Kairi. As she looked at Sora's sleeping form, she couldn't help but smile at how he looked. "He looks so peaceful when he's sleeping," Kairi thought to herself.

* * *

Late that night, Riku realized that Kairi was taking a little longer in Sora's room and decided to check up on them. Riku knocked on the door, ending up with no response. Donald and Goofy approached the door as well, wanting to check up on Sora, since there was no answer. The silver-haired teenager opened to door and all three of them were surprised to see this unexpected scene. They found Kairi sleeping next to Sora at the side of his bed, with Mog sleeping next to them.

"Those two have something in common. They're both working hard for each other," noted Riku.

"Sora's still has a long way to go, though," Donald added.

"We'd better leave them alone tonight," advised Goofy.

Riku closed the door for the two sleeping teenagers. It was better to leave them as they are. They've earned it.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an unknown place, a woman viewed an image of Kairi via computer.

"Guest number: MDC7261919 has been identified as 'Kairi,'" said the woman, "She doesn't know that our agent is interfering in her journey. We will continue on as usual."

The woman looked at one of the monitors, which showed what seemed to be pods. There were people inside these pods. However, among them, Kairi seems to be in one of them. Why is Kairi in one of the pods? What could this mean?

* * *

_**To be continued…**_


	15. The Man's Face

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - past_

**Bold - previous parts in chapter **

* * *

**Concentrating, Donald's hands began to glow until he projected a magical light around Sora. The magic light surrounded Sora's body until his body ceased to glow.**

**"What was that just now?" asked Sora as he checked his body for any strange changes.**

**"Donald put a magic spell on you," Goofy explained.**

**"This magic spell will prevent you from ever using magic," Donald further explained, "Magic isn't just powerful, but it's also a dangerous thing to use, even for an experienced on. Anyone who has no experience with magic will end up unnecessarily destroying things."**

**Hearing this, Sora realized that Donald was right. Despite Donald's bad temper, he was also very wise when it comes to the use of magic spells.**

**"For example, an inexperienced person could end up hurting himself with magic," Donald continued explaining.**

**"Or worst, you could end up hurting the things you're trying to protect," Goofy finished.**

**"That spell will not wear off, until your heart knows its truly ready to wield magic," said Donald.**

**"I understand," said Sora.**

* * *

_**Chapter 15: The Man's Face**_

* * *

It was a peaceful night time in Twilight Town. In the streets of the Town's main district, a couple stared at the bright moon, which stood before the couple and provided them the night's illumination.

"What a beautiful moon," the woman commented whilst gazing at the moon.

"It sure is," the man agreed with his date.

Suddenly, while they were still gazing at the moon, they are immediately surrounded by a group of Heartless. The man stood in front of his date with his arms out, trying to protect her. The woman was obviously frightened by the dark creatures. Although the man bravely stood defiantly against the dark creatures, feelings of fear also entered his mind. He didn't know what to do to the Heartless, but he couldn't let them touch her date.

"Stay behind me!" the man commanded his date.

But the man was powerless against the dark creatures. The Heartless all leaped towards the helpless couple at the same time, and all that was heard were two agonizing screams.

At the top of the clock tower, the mysterious man merely watched as the couple lost their hearts to the dark creatures...

* * *

In the morning, Kairi and Riku went out for their morning shopping, with Mog and Pluto accompanying them. People around Twilight Town were just doing their usual routines, walking, talking, running errands, working with their jobs, etc. Riku's leg still hadn't healed. Although he barely had problems walking, Riku stopped in his tracks every now and then to soothe his painful leg.

Kairi noticed Riku stopping every now and then in order to make his injury heal for a bit before continuing to walk. "Riku, is your leg okay?" asked the concerned Kairi.

"It's no bother, Princess," replied Riku, "It doesn't hurt that much. How about you? Is that bag too heavy for you? If you want, Pluto can carry it for you." Pluto barked in agreement, willing to help carry the grocery bag for the Princess.

"That's okay, Riku," assured the Princess, "I can still carry this bag. Thanks anyway, Pluto," Kairi said, petting the yellow dog on his head.

Mog popped up from Riku's grocery bag, since Mog was riding in it. "Kairi is working hard, kupo!" Mog cheered.

"Extra! Extra! Read all about it!"

A newspaper delivery boy ran around the Town, throwing newspapers around for everyone to read. Mog stood on top of Riku's head and managed to catch on paper out of the air and began reading the article. While Mog was reading the article, Riku and Kairi were listening to what people were saying as they read the updated newspaper.

"They said that a Heartless attacked a couple of people!"

"The Heartless are more aggressive than before. They're even attack helpless people on sight!"

"What is City Hall doing about this?"

"So that's what the big fuss is all about. We should be very careful from now on," Riku commented, "Our Three Stooges are off training with magic." With the news about the Heartless' now aggressive activity, Kairi grew worried for Sora and his friend's safety. "They're definitely going to work up an appetite before they come home. What do you say we cook up something good for them before they come back?"

"That sounds like a great idea," Kairi smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy continued to train Sora in the art of magic in the local park. So far, Sora has already passed the test of dodging the objects Donald and Goofy threw at him while maintain his balance. Sora knew this next training was going to be a bit more difficult than the first.

"Goofy, do you have that handkerchief?" Donald asked.

"Right here," replied Goofy as he took out the handkerchief from his pocket.

"What's with the handkerchief?" asked Sora.

Goofy handed the cloth to Sora. "Donald wants you to blindfold yourself."

"For this exercise, we want you to start from here and walk all the way back to the cafe," Donald instructed.

"What?" said the surprised Sora.

"You occasionally react to objects before you see them on your right side," Donald began explaining, "But on your left, you always have to see it coming before you react."

"Donald wants you to learn how to react on both sides before you see things coming at you. This will help you when you want to counterattack with your Keyblade or your magic," Goofy explained.

"You can take breaks on the way, and you can ask people for directions," Donald instructed, "But until you're able to sense things perfectly without looking, don't take that blindfold off."

"Got it," said Sora.

"We'll see you back home." Donald and Goofy began walking off to leave Sora behind on his solo training.

"You know, Donald, Riku said we had to do something before we come back," Goofy remembered, "But what was it? He was looking for something with no color, same name, but then again, it's not with that name."

"You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, do you?" Donald glared.

"Oh, I knew he said something, but what was it?" Goofy continued to wonder.

"Oh wait!" Sora called out to his friends.

"What is it?" asked Donald.

"Um, Riku said to go out and buy some flour on the way home," replied Sora.

"Oh yeah, that's what Riku said!" Goofy exclaimed.

Donald's eye brow twitched in annoyance to hear Goofy's lack of common sense, and Riku's incapability to acquire an item and instead sending him to get it. "This is the third time Riku sent us out for something!" Donald grumbled as he continued to walk off with Goofy.

As Sora looked at the handkerchief, he was in deep thought. "This training is going to be hard, but I have to do my best...for the Princess," Sora thought to himself in determination. Sora took the handkerchief and began to blindfold himself. Now shut off completely from his sight, Sora tried to use his sense of hearing to give himself a visual perspective of his surroundings. The winds blew around the park, causing the trees to drop some leaves into the lake and on the ground next to him. "These are fallen leaves," Sora thought to himself, imagining a brand new world in his 'point of view.' Along with the winds, he could hear the ocean in the distance. Hearing the ocean, Sora saw Kairi in his mind, smiling at him. "The ocean, sounds calm...and tranquil... And they're named after the Princess," he thought. Sora then tried to test himself in his 'new' vision by catching a falling leaf. Unfortunately, it was not as easy as it seems. The fallen leaf was just centimeters away from Sora's hand. Sora's visual perspective was not very accurate, but it was almost close. "Looks like it's going to be a long day," he thought as he began to walk off.

* * *

Back at Riku's cafe, Kairi helped Riku and Mog wash the dishes, while Pluto helped clean the floors with brushes tied to his paws and his tail. At the front door, Donald and Goofy appeared, each carrying a bag of flour. Donald was very exhausted as he carried the bag to the counter.

"Welcome back, you two," Kairi greeted.

"Only the Two Stooges showed up," Mog commented.

"Thanks for buying the flour, you guys," said the grateful Riku.

"Don't mention it," replied Goofy.

"Next time, just have them delivered," Donald grumbled.

"By the way, where is Sora?" asked Kairi.

"He's still training," answered Donald.

"Don't worry, Princess. He'll be back soon," said Goofy while he placed an assuring hand on her shoulder.

"I hope so," said the worried Princess.

* * *

Sora continued training his senses, basing his visual perspective by his other four senses, touch, smell, taste, and hearing. Despite running into garbage cans and other objects and obstacles, Sora was starting to get the hang of it. He paid no heed to the citizens looking at him strangely. He just continued training, ignoring their comments about him being blindfolded. Sora then walked down an alley, to test his sense more.

"I'm a long way from the cafe," he thought, "But I'm starting to get the hang of things. I can sense the difference between living things...and non-living things." Sora could imagine the people walking behind him, in a different color, to help label living things. While walking in the alley, he carefully avoided a pile of crates, which he labeled in a different color to signal non-living objects. "They're different, but they share the same presence," he noted. While he walked on, he suddenly encountered something else. Before Sora, there was a gigantic object, labeled in a different color. "This one isn't living." Suddenly, the object began to lash at Sora. Sora thought quick on his feet and began dodging his attacks. As much as Sora wanted to, he couldn't remove his blindfold, since he was still training, but something was attacking him. "It's not living, but it's still attacking me! What is this?" The giant non-living object was about to begin another attack, as Sora was prepared to make another evasion.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

Sora's vision was suddenly restored. On his right side, he found Haynar holding the handkerchief in his hand. But thanks to Haynar, Sora realized what was attacking him. The Heartless thrust its tentacles at Sora, which he dodged. Leaving itself wide open, Sora used his Keyblade to perform and downwards slash, vanquishing the Heartless for good.

"Man, you were that close to getting killed! What were you wearing this for!?" Haynar scolded.

* * *

Sora and Haynar went to the train station, where Sora explained himself on why he wore the blindfold.

"Oh, so you were training on how to use magic, huh?" Haynar realized, "Sorry about that, man."

"That's okay," he assured, "If you hadn't come by, I would have been done for." Sora then noticed a sheathed sword next to Haynar, which belonged to him. "You fight with swords, too, huh?"

Haynar picked up his sword and unsheathed it, showing off the shining blade, as if it was just fresh from being made. "Yup. This is one trusty companion of mine. And with this, I get to feel the excitement of my battles," said Haynar, "Yuna and Olette use handguns, so they get to fight their battles at a safe distance, along with Pence who uses darts. Though, I bet Rikku and Paine can feel the strength of their enemies through their weapons, since they're close-range fighters. I want to experience that strength for myself." Haynar sheathed his sword and placed it on his lap. "I get pretty excited whenever I encounter another strong opponent. If I keep my eyes open, I know I'm bound to see lots of strong opponents."

"I almost have that same feeling," Sora said, getting Haynar surprised attention, "If I keep my eyes open, I'm bound to see lots of mysteries that I never knew existed. New sights, even new people that I've never come across before. There are lots of mysteries that I have yet to see for myself. Even if it's just small, just the thought of finding those mysteries for myself excites me. And that's not all..." Sora raised his Keyblade in front of himself, reminding him of the reason why he began his journey, "There's something I'm trying to get back. I decided for myself that I'll do whatever it takes to get that something back. And that's why I want to get stronger."

Hearing this amazed Haynar. He was impressed by his determination and why he wants to be strong. "You know what? I'm starting to like you already." Haynar clicked his knuckles with Sora's, as a sign of friendship and respect. "Don't give up, Sora."

"You, too," replied Sora.

* * *

Back at the Sacred Hearts Cafe, Kairi was kneading some dough, with Mog watching her. Pluto earned himself a well-deserved nap. Kairi was a natural in baking and cooking, and like Mog and Riku noticed, she was also a hard worker.

"You're amazing, Kairi!" Mog cheered for the Princess.

"Let's bake something really good for Sora when he comes home, okay?" the Princess smiled.

"You got it, kupo!" Mog happily replied.

* * *

During the night, Sora and Haynar walked around Twilight Town, until they wound up at the shopping district of the Town.

"The streets are pretty empty tonight," Sora commented.

"Probably because of those two civilians being attacked," Haynar noted, "Everyone's probably scared to go out."

Sora stopped in his tracks, making Haynar stop as well. "Well, this is where I take off," said Sora.

"Hold on a sec," Haynar spoke up, "There's something I want to show you." Haynar pointed in a direction he was heading. "It's a little ways down here."

"What is it?" asked Sora.

"You'll just have to wait and find out," Haynar smirked.

* * *

Meanwhile, Riku and the Exterminators approached the bar that they arrived at two nights ago. This time, they were bound to meet the person who knew why the Heartless were more aggressive than usual.

"I know you left the Princess to take care of the shop, but are you sure she can handle it?" Goofy questioned Riku.

"She's got a lot of experience. Besides, she's practically like an adult," Riku assured the Exterminators.

Riku and the Exterminators entered the bar and got the same seats they took from when they last came in. This time, the group ordered some soda instead of some alcohol, knowing how drunk Riku gets. As they were getting their drinks, they saw a lady in a black dress entering on her stage with a microphone ready for her.

Soon enough, she began singing a soothing ballad for everyone in the bar. Riku, Donald, and Goofy were captivated by the song. It sounded so peaceful, and so nice.

* * *

In the Sacred Hearts Cafe, Kairi sat at the bar, tapping her foot against her stool, while watching the clock. She continued to wait for Sora and the others to come back.

"Sora sure is late," Kairi sighed, "I hope he's okay."

On the bar, Kairi noticed Mog falling asleep against a kitchen towel, which served as a pillow for the little creature. Seeing this caused Kairi to smile.

"You must have been working hard, too, Mog," Kairi thought to herself before picking up the moogle gently in her arms.

* * *

Riku and the Exterminators continued to listen to the lady's song.

"The song sounds nice," Riku commented.

"If her song says she wants to go somewhere, why don't she should just go," Goofy noted.

"I suppose you're right," replied Riku, "But you know what? I've been waiting all this time...for someone to take me away..."

Donald and Goofy were slightly surprised by what Riku said. Why would the silver-haired teenager want to be taken away by someone?

"Well, that's just what I think anyways," Riku smiled.

* * *

Kairi carried the sleepy moogle in her arms into bed. Like a kind mother, Kairi gently tucked Mog into bed, laying the creature on the pillow and draping a blanket over him. Kairi then patted Mog gently on the back, putting the little moogle to sleep.

"Donald...hug Mog like a teddy bear...kupo..." Mog said as he fell asleep.

Seeing the moogle sleeping, Kairi stood up straight and stretched her arms. "Well, looks like it's up to me to watch the shop until Sora comes home!" Kairi said to herself with enthusiasm.

* * *

The lady in black finally finished her song, earning an applause from her customers.

"Well, now that that's done, can you tell us about the Heartless' recent activities?" Donald questioned the bartender.

"You're awfully impatient, aren't you, little guy?" the bartender mused, "They're ready to speak to you, Miss Edea."

The lady in black, Edea, approached the trio, taking a seat next to them.

"Are you the one who knows about the recent Heartless activities?" Goofy asked Edea.

"Yes, I am the one," replied Edea.

"That was a nice song you sang," Riku praised.

"Why, thank you," Edea winked, "Bartender, one martini, please." The bartender began mixing the singer her usual drink.

"Do you sing here often?" asked Riku.

"Yes, I own this place," Edea answered. Edea received her drink and took a sip of it before explaining some information to the trio. "The new and powerful Heartless have never appeared here. The ones here are almost took weak to even consider a threat. However, there is one Heartless that has taken the form of a human."

"Hold on, do you mean, the reason there Heartless have been more aggressive is because this human-looking Heartless is the source?" Donald questioned.

"Yes," replied Necificilam.

"How do you know that this guy is a Heartless?" Goofy asked.

"Because the Heartless here act on instinct. But this new Heartless, he is the one controlling the Heartless here," Edea explained.

* * *

Elsewhere, the mysterious man, who stood on the clock tower of Twilight Town, raised his hands in front of him. On cue, a dark presence began to take form...

* * *

"This new Heartless has some kind of mysterious power," said Edea.

"Miss Edea, there is someone here to see you," the bartender said, returning to the bar.

"That is all I know about the Heartless," she said to the trio, "Now, if you'll excuse me, please make yourselves at home." Edea left the trio to attend to some business.

"She sure said something strange a little while ago, don't you think?" Riku commented.

"What do you mean?" asked Donald.

"The Heartless here have never been as powerful as now. At first, they were very weak and easy to defeat. Wouldn't that mean, they were created on purpose?" Riku hinted, "Maybe the Heartless in this world are being watched. That was how City Hall was able to track their movements."

"But didn't the City Hall mention that the Heartless have been more active lately?" Goofy spoke up.

"The City Hall is watching the activities, but...someone as of late is messing up the system," Riku said, taking a drink of his soda.

"And that Heartless looks like a human," Donald realized.

"Right. And that Heartless possesses a strange mysterious power that Edea mentioned," Riku finished.

"You can't mean--" Goofy realized.

"Kairi's Heart Fragment might be involved in this," Riku concluded.

* * *

Near the clock tower, a group of Heartless paraded around the area, with the mysterious man watching them like ants in an ant farm.

"As you all grow in rank, you get harder and harder to control," the mysterious man noted, "If I hadn't acquired his object, that would've been a disaster." The mysterious man dug into his pocket and held an object in his hand, which emitted pure light.

* * *

Mog, who was still sleeping, went wide-eyed suddenly, until Mog fell back to sleep.

In the cafe, Kairi was busy making some baked goods. "Perfect!" Kairi finished up making some cookies for her and Sora.

Suddenly, Kairi heard some kind of mysterious tone. Kairi looked around to find the source of that sound, but soon, she found herself in some kind of trance-like state. Unknowingly, Kairi began walking slowly out of the cafe, towards her unknown destination.

* * *

In the middle of the night, Rikku and Olette walked together towards the Sacred Hearts cafe. They were excited to have some of their baked goods, since they both developed a sweet tooth for the desserts.

"I think I'll have some chocolate cheesecake tonight!" Rikku declared, "Or maybe some sachertorte!"

"I hear their ostkaka is pretty good, too!" Olette spoke up. Rikku stopped in her tracks while she was looking forward. "What's wrong, Rikku?"

Olette turned to what Rikku was looking at. The two girls found Kairi in her trance-like state, walking slowly. The two girls held a puzzled look on their face as they saw their friend walking off for some odd reason.

* * *

Sora and Haynar looked off to the ocean, where the evening moon shone beautifully on the ocean. Sora had to admit, the view looked very beautiful from the distance.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" asked Sora.

"Yeah, but you can get a better view this way," Haynar said, pointing off in another direction.

"Kairi, wait! Where are you going?"

Sora and Haynar turned around and found Kairi walking slowly towards them, with Rikku and Olette running after her.

"Princess!" Sora ran towards the Princess and stopped her in her tracks. "Princess, what's wrong? Please, snap out of it," Sora said, trying to shake her awake from her trance. Kairi then pointed towards the clock tower. "Are you saying...your Heart Fragment is there?" Kairi then closed her eyes and her body fell limp. Sora quickly caught Kairi and set her down gently.

"Haynar, what are you two doing here?" asked Olette.

"I was going to show Sora something," replied Haynar.

Suddenly, a group of Heartless appeared everywhere, surrounding the group. Sora armed himself with his Keyblade, ready to fight off the dark beings. "Rikku, Olette, please take care of the Princess." Sora ran off with Haynar and fought off against the numerous Heartless that surrounded them. Rikku and Olette formed a perimeter around the unconscious Kairi, fighting off any Heartless that would do harm unto her.

While fighting off the Heartless, Sora couldn't help but feel like there's something amiss in the fight.

"What's wrong, Sora?" Haynar asked while fighting the Heartless.

Using the senses he tried to train himself in, Sora used his visual perception to distinguish between living, non-living, and the Heartless. Sora carefully scanned the area using his senses to try to detect whatever caused Sora to have some bad feelings about the fight. Suddenly, he sensed another presence hiding from his regular line of vision. Sora looked up to the clock tower, where he saw a mysterious man, wearing a hat, looking down on him.

"So that's the new Heartless, huh?" Haynar readied himself with his sword.

The mysterious man slowly placed his hand on his hat, before removing it from his head, at last showing his face.

"Y-you!" Sora widened his eyes in shock. He knew this man. "Balthier!"

"It's been a while, Sora," Balthier said.

"Balthier, what are you doing here?" Thoughts ran through his head as he found the identity of this new Heartless. What is Balthier doing in Twilight Town? Why is he siding with the Heartless? Is Balthier Sora's new enemy?

* * *

_**To be continued…**_


	16. Unbroken Memories

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - past_

**Bold - previous parts in chapter **

* * *

**Using the senses he tried to train himself in, Sora used his visual perception to distinguish between living, non-living, and the Heartless. Sora carefully scanned the area using his senses to try to detect whatever caused Sora to have some bad feelings about the fight. Suddenly, he sensed another presence hiding from his regular line of vision. Sora looked up to the clock tower, where he saw a mysterious man, wearing a hat, looking down on him.**

**"So that's the new Heartless, huh?" Haynar readied himself with his sword.**

**The mysterious man slowly placed his hand on his hat, before removing it from his head, at last showing his face.**

**"Y-you!" Sora widened his eyes in shock. He knew this man. "Balthier!"**

**"It's been a while, Sora," Balthier said.**

**"Balthier, what are you doing here?" Thoughts ran through his head as he found the identity of this new Heartless. What is Balthier doing in Twilight Town? Why is he siding with the Heartless? Is Balthier Sora's new enemy?**

* * *

_**Chapter 16: Unbroken Memories**_

* * *

Sora couldn't believe his own eyes. Here he was, face to face, with an old acquaintance with his past, Balthier. And of all people, Balthier was the one controlling the Heartless here in Twilight Town.

"Why are you here?" Sora asked in surprise.

Balthier never answered the Keyblade master's question. He merely stared at the young teenager, as if he were observing him. As Sora waited for Balthier's answer, Haynar noticed the Heartless around them about to make their move against them.

"Sora, it's no good. We have to get out of here!" Haynar forcefully pulled Sora's shirt and ran off, forcing Sora to run away with him.

"But..." Sora was at a loss of words. Knowing that Balthier was around still surprised him.

"I don't think either of us stand a chance against that guy," Haynar reasoned as he ran away with Sora.

Sora didn't want to run away, not until he got some answers, but Haynar was right. Sora felt an ominous energy coming from Balthier. Sora looked back to find Balthier still staring at him, until the Heartless blocked off Sora's view and gave chase.

* * *

Back at Riku's cafe, Riku returned from his meeting, along with Donald and Goofy. At the front, Riku and the Exterminators met up with the Gullwings and the Twilight Kids, with the unconscious Kairi in Rikku's arms. Rikku and Olette explained to the trio what happened.

"We've been looking all over for our pretty waitress. Thanks!" said the grateful Riku.

"She's our friend after all," Olette replied.

Kairi began to moan, and she began to come awaken. Much to everyone's relief, she was perfectly fine. "What...happened to me..."

"Thank goodness," Olette sighed in relief.

"This is strange," Goofy began to explain to Donald and Riku, "The Princess has never done anything like this before."

"You're right. It's like she's unconsciously searching for her Fragments," Riku concluded, "What do you boys think?"

"We have names, you know," Donald grumbled in annoyance.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Stooges!" Riku smiled.

"Now, that's better," Donald smirked, until he realized what Riku said, "Hey, wait a minute!"

From the front gate of the cafe, everyone heard the sound of rapid footsteps. Then, the source of the footsteps were found when Sora and Haynar emerged, panting heavily, now that they've finally outran the powerful Heartless that Balthier was controlling. Donald noticed Sora looking surprised.

"What's wrong, Sora? You look like you've seen a ghost," said Donald.

Sora looked at the group and noticed they were looking at him strangely. However, among them, he saw Kairi looking at him, worried sick. "Sora..."

"We just encountered a new Heartless," Haynar spoke up, gaining surprised reactions from his group, Riku and his friends, and the Gullwings.

"Did you fight it?" asked the surprised Yuna.

"No, there were too many Heartless around," replied Haynar, "We just high-tailed it out of there. But I could tell, that new Heartless is even more powerful than all of the Heartless here!"

* * *

Upstairs in the cafe, Sora and Riku accompanied the Princess to her bedroom, where Sora lit a candle, which illuminated Kairi's bedroom.

"The Princess isn't feeling too well. You should stay with her tonight," Riku advised Sora.

"Don't worry, I'll keep her company," Sora replied.

* * *

Downstairs in the cafe, Riku, Donald, Goofy, the Twilight Kids, and the Gullwings pulled up their chairs and sat together on one of the tables.

"Things are getting stranger and stranger by the minute," Paine noted.

"It would probably be better if we can find the A-1 Heartless and defeat it as soon as possible," Yuna concluded.

"Isn't the A-1 Heartless the strongest one here in Twilight Town?" asked Donald.

"Yeah, it is," Pence answered.

"Not only that, but the new Heartless is also pretty powerful. Right, Haynar?" Riku questioned.

"Yeah, without a doubt," replied Haynar.

"This might sound crazy, but I have a hunch. What if this new powerful Heartless, and the A-1 Heartless are actually one in the same?" Riku hypothesized.

"That can't be." Yuna was just as surprised as anyone about Riku's hypothesis, but there was no other explanation about the Heartless' recent behavior as of late.

"So, the new Heartless is really the A-1 Heartless..." Rikku concluded.

"Well, at least we know what kind of Heartless it is," commented Goofy.

"No, I wouldn't count on that just yet," Paine spoke up.

"Why not?" Donald asked.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Riku, but if we go on your theory right now, we're done for," Paine explained, "And until City Hall has any new information about this, we're better off forgetting about that new Heartless and just focusing on the A-1 Heartless."

"That makes a lot of sense," Haynar agreed.

"It's probably for the best," said Olette.

"Well, in that case, if you're going to go after the A-1 Heartless, we'll try to research any information about this new Heartless," Riku offered to the two Exterminator groups.

"We'll see if this new Heartless is the very same A-1 Heartless, or if they're two completely different Heartless," Donald added.

"Not only that, but there might be something that we're looking for," Goofy finished.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Kairi's bedroom, Sora kept a close watch outside of her window. Sora's eyes were glued outside, looking for any sign of Heartless...or that man... Kairi noticed that he hadn't moved an inch from his position, even though he has been standing there for quite a while. Kairi grew concerned for him, she knew that Sora knew something about that new Heartless. Their silence was dissolved, when the Princess heard someone knocking on the door.

"Hey, Sora!" Haynar called out, as he let himself in.

However, Sora continued to stare outside the window. It was as if he hadn't heard Haynar at all, or as if he were possessed by some kind of evil spirit.

"What's wrong with Sora?" asked the concerned Olette.

"He's been acting weird ever since we encountered that new Heartless," Haynar noted.

They were right. Sora hasn't really been himself half of the time. His thoughts were on Balthier.

Sora remembered how Balthier once saved him from a group of thugs, who tried to ambush him when he was just a kid. If it hadn't been for Balthier intervention, who knows what kind of torment they would do to him. He also remembered how he gave him a book, which seemed to be important.

Sora imagined Balthier's face from the past to the present. They were a complete match.

"Hey, Sora." Haynar placed his hand on Sora's shoulder, snapping him out of his state. "What's with you, man? Is there something wrong?"

Sora looked at Haynar, and then to Olette and Kairi, noticing their worried, concerned looks directed at him. "I can't tell you the exact details yet," Sora said, "But I can tell you this. The one who was with the Heartless...I think I know who he is." Kairi, Olette, and Haynar were completely shocked at this revelation. It was hard to believe that Sora knew who this Heartless is. "That man...he was the same person who taught me how to use swords."

Kairi realized why Sora was so fixated outside their house. It was because a man from his past showed up, unexpectedly.

* * *

Hours later, Kairi felt better enough to go downstairs for a while. She went back into her bedroom to check up on Sora, who still continued to look outside, looking out for any sign of Balthier.

"Sora, what are you thinking?" Kairi asked herself in her thoughts, "Did that man do something to you before?"

As Sora continued to watch outside, he began to think to himself. "I haven't seen Balthier for years. He hasn't changed since the time I met him. No, could that really be the same Balthier I met that day?"

* * *

_"It's been a while, Sora," Balthier said._

* * *

"He did say my name back there," Sora continued to think. Those words continued to ring through his head. "It has to be him. But if that's him, why is he siding with the Heartless?"

Kairi continued to watch Sora standing there and looking out the window. Kairi was filled with concern and worry for him. She wanted to do anything to help him, whatever it is that's bothering him.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a dark mysterious world, Xemnas and Larxene watched an unknown teenager, contained in a glass tube filled with water. They noticed the mysterious teenager's finger twitched slightly.

"It seems like there is someone involved," Larxene noted as she watched the unknown teenager carefully.

"I see that we're not the only ones playing a part in this," said Xemnas.

"What do you plan to do?" asked Larxene.

"It matters not," replied Xemnas, "Every side has a limit for interference. Even if the unexpected happens, everything is going according to plan. Besides, we still have **_that_** at our disposal..." Xemnas finished, as he watched Sora on his mirror, still looking outside of his window.

* * *

It was morning, and Sora was still looking outside, as if he hadn't slept at all. As he continued to look outside, he heard someone knocking on the door.

"Come in," Sora responded.

From the door, Kairi let herself in. "Breakfast is ready," Kairi informed.

"Thank you," Sora obliged, "I'll be downstairs in a bit."

Kairi was still concerned and worried about Sora's recent behavior about Balthier's recent appearance. "You haven't slept?"

"I lied down for a while," Sora replied.

"But your eyes are all red," Kairi noticed. Sora was surprised by Kairi's observation. He hadn't realized he stayed up that late. "You were thinking about that man, weren't you?"

"No, that's not it," Sora tried to assure.

"Please, Sora, don't hide your feelings from me," Kairi pleaded. Those words hit Sora. He remembered those exact words from his past. "I'll just worry even more," Kairi said, giving Sora a small smile.

"You said those same words to me back then...Princess," Sora thought to himself. While Kairi will not remember saying that to Sora again, Sora remembered that time like it was yesterday.

* * *

_In Destiny Island, Little Sora had just returned from his trip with his father. His father, Konsetsu, went off to meet up with Ansem the Wise to deliver his report. As Little Sora was unpacking his things, he heard someone calling out to him._

_"Welcome home, Sora!" Little Kairi yelled, running into his house happily._

_"Thank you," Little Sora smiled._

_"How was your trip this time? What kind of kingdom did you and your father explore?" Little Kairi was so happy that she ran to Little Sora and grabbed his hands in happiness. She didn't have time to dance for joy for his return because as soon as she grabbed his hands, Little Sora grunted and winced in pain. "What's wrong?"_

_"It's...nothing really," Little Sora stammered._

_Little Kairi turned his hands around and was shocked to see her childhood friend boring a cut on his right hand. The cut wasn't bleeding, but it still shocked the little Princess. "You're hurt!" Little Kairi gasped._

_"Y...yeah..." That was all that Little Sora could say, now that he was caught._

_"Why didn't you get it bandaged?" asked the worried Princess._

_"Because I thought that if you saw the bandages, you'd get worried," Little Sora reasoned._

_"I would!" Kairi exclaimed, "Of course I'd be worried if you got hurt or if something bad happens to you. But, if you just hide your injuries and not tell me about it, I'll just worry even more," Little Kairi said sadly. Little Sora never meant to sadden the Princess about hiding his injuries. He was only trying to keep her happy, and he didn't want her happiness to vanish upon seeing his ailment. Little Kairi gently placed her hand on his cut, as if she were healing and soothing his pain. Little Sora felt so warm by her gentle touch. "If you don't want me to worry, please promise me that you won't hide your pain from me," Little Kairi said, still having her gentle hand over his cut, whilst giving him a small smile._

* * *

"I'm sorry, it's not in my place to say it," Kairi apologized.

"No, no, it's okay," Sora assured.

"But really, if there's something I can do for you, please let me know," the Princess offered.

Sora smiled at Kairi's generous offer. "I will, Princess."

* * *

Sora and his Exterminators stepped out of the Sacred Hearts Cafe and made their way to the City Hall. If they were going to find any information about Balthier's presence and the true nature of the A-1 Heartless, the City Hall was the best place to start.

"Um, Sora, about this new Heartless, I heard he was the one who taught you how to use swords," Goofy spoke up.

"Yeah," Sora stated bluntly.

"Are you worried?" asked Donald.

"I'd be lying, if I said no," Sora replied, "I can't exactly forget about my memories of him. But there is something more important than that. If Balthier has the Princess's Heart Fragment, then I'm going to need all the information I need, if I'm going to retrieve it."

Sora and his friends entered the City Hall and met up with the receptionist that gave them the position of Heartless Exterminators. Sora and his friends explained to the receptionist about the presence of the new Heartless.

"A new Heartless?" asked the receptionist.

"That's right," Donald answered.

"I'm afraid such a thing doesn't exist," the receptionist stated.

"But the informant that you referred to us told us that there was a new Heartless," Goofy recalled.

"However, there is no record of it," the receptionist said.

"I also met the new Heartless," Sora spoke up, "He was with the other Heartless."

"I'm afraid there is no information to give out, concerning the one that was with the Heartless," the receptionist simply said.

No information regarding the new Heartless? Sora realized what she was saying. "So you're not saying he doesn't exist, you're saying you don't have any information to give out concerning him?"

"Nothing I can say," she simply stated.

"Then, where can we find that information?" asked Sora.

"There's a place where only Heartless Exterminators are authorized to enter," the receptionist informed.

"We're the Heartless Extermination Squad, so I shouldn't be a problem," said Goofy.

"Then I can tell you, but it's rather dangerous," the receptionist warned, "Even the most skilled Heartless Exterminator has a slim chance of coming back."

"Well, we have no choice, do we?" Donald asked his group.

"Very well. Your request has been approved," the receptionist said with a friendly smile. She then handed a photograph of a mansion to Sora. "Please take this with you." The receptionist further explained where to go.

Taking the photo in hand, Sora and his friends walked out of the City Hall, while Sora continued to look at the photograph of the mansion.

"She kept on saying 'no information,' blah, blah, blah," Donald said in annoyance.

"At first, about the new Heartless, didn't she say that the new Heartless doesn't exist?" Sora pondered.

"I'm pretty sure she did," Donald answered.

"But then, she said she couldn't give out any information about it, regarding the one with the Heartless," Sora recalled.

"What are you getting at, Sora?" asked Goofy.

"This is just a hunch, but this new Heartless and the one siding with the Heartless are probably two different Heartless," Sora theorized.

Donald and Goofy thought that Sora might be right. But the three of them can't know for sure until they get some answers. And those answers will be revealed when they meet the informant at an old mansion on the photograph.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Sacred Hearts Cafe, Kairi helped Riku wash the dishes, with Mog cheering her on. Pluto was on scrubbing duty and he helped scrubbed the floors with brushes tied to his paws and his tail. Because of Pluto's mobility, the yellow dog easily took care of the floors.

"You're sure working hard, Princess," Riku noticed Kairi, "You don't have to rush. Go ahead and take your time."

"Okay!" Kairi responded with enthusiasm.

"Mog will help, too, kupo!" cheered Mog.

* * *

Later, Sora and his friends entered the woods, outside of Twilight Town, but not too far from the Town. Beyond the woods, Sora and his friends found the old mansion that showed on their photograph.

"This must be the place," Sora said, looking back and forth from the photograph and the old mansion.

"That receptionist girl said that it might be dangerous inside. We should be careful when we go in," Goofy cautioned the group.

"The Heartless don't have the same presence like the living," noted Sora, "I found that out when you guys had me training my senses."

"I thought the same thing, too," said Donald, "They sneaked up behind me and Goofy once, too."

Sora realized that Donald and Goofy had their fair share of fighting monsters like the Heartless. "Have you guys ever encountered monsters back in your world?"

"Yup. Even though some were big and scary, we managed to take care of every one of them!" Goofy exclaimed.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Donald said, looking around the suspicious mansion, "There might be stronger Heartless inside. And Sora, you're still not ready to use magic. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Yeah," said the determined Sora.

"No regrets?" asked Goofy.

"None," Sora stated bluntly.

"Let's go." Donald led the group beyond the mansion gates and through the front door of this mysterious mansion, ready for whatever Heartless may be waiting for them.

Inside the mansion, there were no lights. All the curtains were shut off completely, leaving no room for the daylight. This could be considered a good home for the Heartless.

"It sure is dark in here," Goofy commented.

Sora began digging into his pockets. "Hold on, I have a flashlight."

"No, don't take it out," Donald said sternly, "If you turn it on, you'll let the Heartless know we're here. Plus, this could be a good training for you."

"I see. All right," Sora nodded. This time, without the blindfold, the darkness will allow Sora to balance vision and his senses. Sora noticed that Donald and Goofy had no trouble going around the dark mansion. It was as if they were able to see like broad daylight. "Those two must be able to sense their way out," Sora thought.

As the group explored the mysterious mansion, the three of them heard a sound of walking and crawling. Before they knew it, they were instantly surrounded by the Heartless. Drawing their respective weapons, the Heartless Extermination Squad, quickly fought back against the Heartless fiends.

With his swordsmanship skills, Sora easily knocked aside the Heartless that came at him. Donald used his ice magic as a spreader, which took out a group of Heartless that charged after the skilled magician. Goofy's defense was certainly his greatest offense. With his shield, Goofy managed to use his shielding combat skills to do away with his share of the Heartless.

"It looks like we'll have to fight the Heartless as we search the mansion," Donald said whilst fighting off his share of the Heartless.

The group got started in searching the rooms for the informant. With the help of Sora's almost perfect visual perspective, Sora was able to tell where most of the Heartless was. Unfortunately, Sora didn't notice a giant Heartless clinging to the ceiling. One of its tentacles managed to snare Sora and lift the young teenager into the air. Donald and Goofy didn't have time to help their friend as they were immediately surrounded by more Heartless. While Sora was still hanging in the air, the giant Heartless attempted to use its tentacles to whip Sora around. Sora immediately defended himself from the tentacles by slashing away at it. When Sora managed to cut off one of the tentacles, he noticed something drip onto his hand. Sora took a good look at it and noticed the texture and the odor of the liquid. "Oil..." Sora thought, "Donald, this Heartless is full of oil. Use your fire magic!" Sora called to Donald.

Donald did away with his share of the Heartless and used his fire magic burn down the giant Heartless. As the giant Heartless vanished in the flame, Sora was released from its grip and fell from the air. Goofy immediately ran fast enough to catch Sora, before the young teenager would hit the ground hard.

"We'd better skedaddle!" Goofy yelled to everyone.

Sora and his friends ran off as the giant Heartless continued to burn. Although the worst was over for now, they still had to find the informant within the mansion.

* * *

Back at Riku's cafe, the dishes that Kairi was washing were stacked neatly next to her at the sink. Mog and Riku helped dry the washed dishes. Pluto, having finished scrubbing the floors, began to put away the bucket full of soapy water and the brushes.

"All finished!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Good work, Princess," Riku said with a smile.

"I'll help you with the cafe, too," Kairi said.

"You've been working too hard. Why don't you take a break for a while?" offered Riku.

"I appreciate the offer, Riku. But the truth is, I really can't do anything for the people I'm traveling with. That's why I want to do what I can to help everyone, even the little things. One day, I hope to share the many hardships that everyone is facing..." Kairi's vision suddenly started to get blurry, and soon, she began to feel her body giving out and going limp. The Princess's eyes began to close and soon, her body collapsed back.

"Watch out!" Mog yelled in distress. Riku was quick to catch her and cradled her in his arms, gently set her down. "Kairi!" Mog called in worry.

"Don't worry, Mog," Riku assured, "She'll be fine. She just overworked herself a bit." Kairi slept peacefully in Riku's arms, causing Riku to smile. "You're a good girl, Kairi. I'm not the type of person who would worry about others, but for you, I wish for only your happiness."

"Riku..." Mog was surprised by Riku's sudden emotion. Was something bothering the silver-haired teenager?

* * *

Sora and his friends continued to fight off against the Heartless that stood in their way.

"Sorry, you guys," Sora apologized, "If I was able to use magic sooner, you guys wouldn't be doing most of the work."

"If Donald hadn't put that magic seal on you, the Heartless wouldn't be the only ones in danger," Goofy reasoned.

"That looks like the last of them," Donald said while he surveyed the area, "Let's get a move on."

Sora and his friends began walking towards the last room that the trio hadn't entered yet.

"You're starting to get used to it now, Sora," Donald noted.

"It's not perfect yet, but I'm beginning to know how to sense their presence while I don't see them," said Sora. Sora and his friends approached the door. From beyond the door, they heard something. "What was that?"

"There's something back there. Don't let your guard down," Goofy said, getting his shield ready.

Sora and Donald opened the door with their weapons ready at hand. As they opened the door, they saw the entire room filled with white. Everything looked so clean. The tables, the fireplace, the curtains, the windows, everything looked so perfect. Within the room, they found two figures sitting at the table: one looked like a fully grown cat, and the other one looked like a little cat, sitting on top of something.

"Oh! We have guests!" the little cat announced, "Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!" The thing the little cat was sitting on suddenly came to life and ran towards Sora. It looked like a giant sized moogle. Sora didn't have time to dodge it in time and he ended up being tackled to the ground.

"That thing moved!" Donald said in extreme surprise.

"Oh, I forgot my manners," the little cat apologized, "My name is Cait Sith."

"I am Nanaki," the big said, approaching the group.

Cait Sith's giant moogle hopped up and down happily, not noticing that it was hopping on top of the downed Sora. "You guys are the first visitors in such a long time! Please, make yourselves at home!"

"Cait Sith, I think you should stop hopping around before you end up killing one of them," Nanaki said in a monotone voice.

"Whoops, my bad," Cait Sith laughed embarrassingly before getting off of Sora.

* * *

Sora and his friends took their seat in the room with Nanaki facing the group.

"If you're here, then I assume that you have an important question to ask," Nanaki noted.

"We want to ask you about the one with the Heartless," Sora spoke up.

"Well, I'm going to go take a nap..." Cait Sith yawned, "Let me know if something good happens." Cait Sith and his giant moogle fell asleep together, leaving the rest in peace.

"If that's the case, then that must mean you three are very skilled Heartless Exterminators," Nanaki concluded, "I guess I shall tell you." Sora and his friends listened intently at what Nanaki was going to reveal. "The one with the Heartless hasn't been announced to the public, but it has been labeled A-1. To put it simply, this is the greatest Heartless of them all. This Heartless has powers beyond anyone's imagination. It is for that reason that the rest of the Heartless only obey it. And not only that, this Heartless takes the form of a human."

A human looking Heartless. It had to be Balthier. "Did this Heartless wear a hat?" asked Sora.

"No, it doesn't," Nanaki answered.

"What?" said the surprised Sora.

"The one you're talking about is the one who suddenly appeared in Town," explained Nanaki, "He's not the A-1 Heartless."

"But he's the one controlling the Heartless," Goofy recalled.

"He's actually the one interfering," said Nanaki, "Eventually, the City Hall will track him down and apprehend him."

"So...he's not the A-1 Heartless..." Sora concluded to himself.

* * *

Elsewhere, everything was so peaceful around the Sacred Hearts Cafe. No customers came in, due to Riku announcing that their waitress is "sick."

Little did Riku and the others know, there was someone walking towards the cafe...

* * *

Riku laid Kairi down on a sofa and draped a blanket over the sleeping Princess. While Riku was tucking the Princess in, Mog was concerned about the emotions and feelings that Riku displayed when Kairi fell asleep.

"Riku..." Mog spoke up.

"What's up, Mog?" asked Riku.

"Riku, remember what you said at that world with a big lake, kupo?" Mog asked, "You said that no one would get mad at Sora if he smiled or had fun."

"Yeah, I remember that. What about it?" Riku asked again.

"No one is going to get mad at you, too, Riku," Mog said happily, "Not Mog, not Sora, not Kairi, not Donald, not Goofy...no one, kupo!"

Riku was slightly surprised at Mog's concerns and held a straight face. He immediately put on a smile and lifted Mog in his hands to meet eye level with the moogle. "I'm always having fun," Riku smiled.

"But you're also thinking about something else, even when you're smiling, kupo," Mog noticed.

Riku never realized how very observant the little creature was. "You're something else, Mog," Riku commented with a small smile.

"That's one of Mog's 108 secret techniques, kupo," Mog revealed, "I know when people feel lonely. You, Sora, Donald, Goofy...all of you seem kind of lonely. But you know what? When you're all traveling together, that loneliness eventually goes away, and in its place, it will have warm feelings like Kairi's. And Mog thinks that's a good idea!

"I also think that's a great idea," said Riku, "It would be great if that happens." Riku earned himself a little hug from Mog.

* * *

Back in the old mansion, Sora and the group pondered on the new information regarding Balthier and the Heartless accompanying the others.

"If what Nanaki said is true, then that means that the new Heartless and the A-1 Heartless are completely different," Donald theorized.

"He also mentioned that the new Heartless is the one interfering," Goofy reminded.

"That would only mean, he came from another world," Sora concluded.

"But then, where is the A-1 Heartless?" Donald pondered.

Suddenly, Cait Sith and his giant moogle woke up from their nap, startling the trio. "There's an emergency!"

* * *

Elsewhere, someone entered the Sacred Hearts Cafe.

"Welcome to Sacred Hearts (kupo)!" Riku and Mog greeted simultaneously.

The two took a look at their guest, who looked suave, wore a white long sleeve with a brown shiny vest and black pants. "Sorry, sir, but we're not really open, yet," Riku apologized with a friendly smile.

"I hear the Three Stooges live here," said Balthier.

Riku's friendly smile faded when the man mentioned the Three Stooges. This certainly meant trouble. What is Balthier's ulterior motive? What is he after? Does Riku stand a chance against Sora's former master?

* * *

_**To be continued…**_


	17. The Vanishing Lives

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - past_

**Bold - previous parts in chapter **

* * *

**Riku laid Kairi down on a sofa and draped a blanket over the sleeping Princess. While Riku was tucking the Princess in, Mog was concerned about the emotions and feelings that Riku displayed when Kairi fell asleep.**

**"Riku..." Mog spoke up.**

**"What's up, Mog?" asked Riku.**

**"Riku, remember what you said at that world with a big lake, kupo?" Mog asked, "You said that no one would get mad at Sora if he smiled or had fun."**

**"Yeah, I remember that. What about it?" Riku asked again.**

**"No one is going to get mad at you, too, Riku," Mog said happily, "Not Mog, not Sora, not Kairi, not Donald, not Goofy...no one, kupo!"**

**Riku was slightly surprised at Mog's concerns and held a straight face. He immediately put on a smile and lifted Mog in his hands to meet eye level with the moogle. "I'm always having fun," Riku smiled.**

**"But you're also thinking about something else, even when you're smiling, kupo," Mog noticed.**

**Riku never realized how very observant the little creature was. "You're something else, Mog," Riku commented with a small smile.**

**"That's one of Mog's 108 secret techniques, kupo," Mog revealed, "I know when people feel lonely. You, Sora, Donald, Goofy...all of you seem kind of lonely. But you know what? When you're all traveling together, that loneliness eventually goes away, and in its place, it will have warm feelings like Kairi's. And Mog thinks that's a good idea!**

**"I also think that's a great idea," said Riku, "It would be great if that happens." Riku earned himself a little hug from Mog.**

* * *

**Someone entered the Sacred Hearts Cafe.**

**"Welcome to Sacred Hearts (kupo)!" Riku and Mog greeted simultaneously.**

**The two took a look at their guest, who looked suave, wore a white long sleeve with a brown shiny vest and black pants. "Sorry, sir, but we're not really open, yet," Riku apologized with a friendly smile.**

**"I hear the Three Stooges live here," said Balthier.**

**Riku's friendly smile faded when the man mentioned the Three Stooges. This certainly meant trouble. What is Balthier's ulterior motive? What is he after? Does Riku stand a chance against Sora's former master?**

* * *

_**Chapter 17: The Vanishing Lives  
**_

* * *

Sora and the Exterminators were on full alert upon hearing Cait Sith announcing an emergency. What could be going on? Sora could only hope that Kairi was safe, as well as Riku, Mog, and Pluto.

"The new Heartless has just appeared at the Sacred Hearts Cafe," Cait Sith announced.

"Could it be Balthier?" Sora asked.

"Because this new Heartless is a foreigner who is interfering, we can't monitor his movements," Nanaki informed.

"This is bad," Sora thought, "Riku, Mog, Pluto, Princess, please be safe!"

* * *

Balthier continued to stare at Riku and Mog. Riku showed no fear before the mysterious man. Not an ounce of fear showed in his eyes. Pluto woke up from his nap in time to see Balthier staring at his friends. Pluto growled towards the man, ready to fight, if necessary.

Balthier looked around the cafe, to see if the Three Stooges were around. While he was looking around, Riku noticed something on Balthier's face. Was there something wrong with his right eye? Why did it reflect light like Sora's?

"Mog, stay with Kairi," Riku advised.

"O-okay," said the frightened Mog.

"Welcome," Riku greeted, trying to play the charade, "Do you want table for one?"

"The Three Stooges live here, right?" asked Balthier, completely ignoring Riku's greeting.

"They're not here right now, but yeah, they do," replied Riku.

"Then I suppose you're not one of them," Balthier realized.

"I'm just a simple guy running a simple cafe," Riku assured.

"Yet, you possess those dark powers," Balthier stated.

Riku smirked at Balthier's statement. Riku did not tell him the truth, but he made no denial about it either. If Balthier was this resourceful, then no doubt, he was very powerful and not to be underestimated. "Just like you." Balthier knew what Riku was talking about, as the sunlight reflected off of his right now. "Well, since we're honest with each other, can I ask why you want to see our Three Stooges?"

A dark aura surrounded Balthier, making Riku draw his sword, and putting Mog and Pluto in the defense for the sleeping Kairi. "I just thought they'd be better off gone," Balthier said bluntly. The dark aura that surrounded Balthier began to take their respective shapes into a form of a Heartless.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora, Donald, and Goofy made full haste out of the old mansion and on their way to the Sacred Hearts Cafe.

"Let's hurry!" Donald exclaimed, "We don't know how powerful Balthier is."

"Riku is still injured from his last fight," Goofy recalled, "I don't think he stands a chance against him."

"Everyone, hold on," Sora thought to himself.

* * *

"You must be Balthier, right?" asked Riku, "You're the one who taught Sora how to fight with swords."

"Ah, so you know Sora," Balthier realized.

"I'm traveling with him and the others through different worlds," Riku said truthfully.

"That explains how I saw Sora here," noted Balthier, "Sora never had the power to cross through different worlds back then. That must mean he made a sacrifice to Lulu."

Riku was surprised to realize that Balthier has also met Lulu. "If you met Lulu, then that also means..." Balthier showed no denying it. It all makes sense now. Balthier got there because he also made a sacrifice to Lulu. "I won't deny this, you look like a very powerful guy. But to travel to different worlds is because of the power of darkness you have, right?"

"You're perceptive, old boy," Balthier smirked, "In order to obtain this power, I sacrificed my right eye to Lulu."

"With that kind of sacrifice, there's a limit to how many times you can use the power of darkness, right?" noted Riku, "You can only travel to different worlds a few times. And then, that's it."

"Exactly," Balthier nodded, "That's why, at all costs, I'd rather not waste it. If I do, then my search for _those two_ would be over."

The two Heartless that stood by Balthier's side went on the attack. They launched themselves towards the silver-haired teenager. Being quick on his feet, Riku jumped into the air and made a couple of quick slashes to vanquish the incoming Heartless. Riku landed bar, but upon landing with his left leg, he hissed and cringed in pain. His injury, apparently, hasn't fully healed. This was going to make things difficult.

"Riku!" Mog yelled in distress.

Pluto stood defiantly towards Balthier, barking at him in a threatening manner, but to no avail.

"Pluto, no!" Riku called out, "Stay with Kairi! Mog, don't leave her side, too!"

"Okay!" replied Mog.

"Your leg is still injured," noted Balthier. At his two sides, two more Heartless emerged once again, ready to do battle against Riku. "You know, if you used your dark powers, you could have avoided those attacks easily."

"True, but I decided not to use the power of darkness," Riku declared.

"Even knowing that you'll lose your life?" Balthier asked.

Riku smirked at Balthier's question. Clearly, Riku showed no fear. Even in this life-threatening situation, he was perfectly calm, as if he knew he was going to win, even though the situation is crystal clear. "I'll take my chances."

"It's your funeral," said Balthier.

"Back then, I kind of considered it," said Riku. Riku recalled being hit by the Heartless when he took Sora's place to accompany the Exterminators. Riku wasn't accidentally hit, he intentionally got hurt, though it was not the results he expected. However, after being through different dangers and happy times with his traveling friends, something in Riku changed. "But you know what? After all I've been through, life can't be all that bad."

It was clear. Riku was going to stand and fight, despite his injury, and despite not wanting to use his dark powers. "So be it. Although, I don't have any time to waste, right now."

Balthier pulled out an object, which emitted a beautiful glowing light. Mog's eyes went wide, upon sensing the object. Riku was surprised to see what Balthier possessed in his hands. Kairi's Heart Fragment. The object hovered steadily in Balthier's hands. Kairi woke up, feeling the presence of her precious Heart Fragment.

"Mog, Pluto, whatever you do, watch this whole thing carefully," Riku advised to the two, "Tell Sora exactly what happened here.

Pluto whimpered, knowing exactly what Riku meant. "Riku, you wouldn't..." pleaded Mog.

"Farewell," Balthier declared.

The first Heartless charged at Riku, determined to put the young teenager out of his misery. However, Riku was not to be underestimated. Even when wounded, Riku was still a formidable opponent. Riku dodged the first Heartless attack and pulled off an upwards slash, vanquishing the Heartless. One more Heartless tried to sneak up behind him. Once again, Riku dodged it by performing a backwards flip. Unfortunately, upon landing with his left leg on one of the tables, Riku cringed in pain again. This gave the Heartless a fraction of a second to make its move against the defenseless Riku.

"Riku!" Mog yelled out in distress. But it was too late. Riku's body already had a sharp blade from the Heartless lodged into his body. Soon, Riku's body was engulfed in shards of light and his body became semi-transparent. Mog and Pluto were completely helpless to help their friend. They could do nothing but watch as Riku literally disappeared. "RIKU!!"

As Balthier watched Riku disappear into light, everything around him began to glow in mysterious colored lights. Something was going on to the entire Town. Pluto turned away and tried to use his body as a shield for both Mog and the awakened Kairi, who watched on.

* * *

Soon, the same mysterious colored lights began to engulf the entire Twilight Town.

At the City Hall, the receptionist even noticed it. "Notice to the Administrators," the receptionist said, "There is an unexpected power in the current situation." The receptionist soon disappear after this notification.

* * *

At a local bar, the bartender even noticed the strange mysterious colors engulfing the entire Town. Edea calmly consumed her drink as the colors engulfed the bar.

"Not good," the bartender said, "This light..."

After finishing her drink and watching the bartender disappear into this mysterious light, she stood up from her seat, knowing what was happening. "This new Heartless is causing more problems. At this rate..."

* * *

Quistis's information center was also disappearing in the mysterious light.

"So, the new Heartless has shown his true powers," she said, before disappearing.

* * *

The old mansion was even engulfed with this mysterious light and it began to disappear as well.

"Looks like this is it!" Cait Sith announced before disappearing.

"What power!" said the astonished Nanaki, before following after his partner.

* * *

Even the Gullwings and the Twilight Kids were noticing it as well. However, they have not disappeared within the light. No one knew why as they saw everything else disappear.

"What's going on?" Yuna said as she looked around.

"Everyone, even the Heartless, are disappearing," Haynar noted.

"I'm betting it has something to do with that light we saw," said Olette.

"It's like the Heartless are disappearing because something bigger just came in," Rikku theorized.

"I noticed that, too. It's unusual for a Heartless to be like this," said Paine.

"Look at the moon, too," Pence told everyone as he pointed to the moon, "It's been a full moon for a few days and it still hasn't been gone."

"What's going on?" asked Olette, "What's happening to Twilight Town?"

"Someone is probably messing things up; probably cheating to defeat these Heartless," Paine concluded.

"You mean someone is breaking the rules?" Rikku asked.

"Either that, or maybe something is going on throughout Twilight Town," Yuna deduced.

"Which means that everyone is being forced to leave Twilight Town temporarily," said Pence, "If we stay here, it's going to get ugly."

"No!" Haynar and Olette protested, surprising everyone.

"Kairi is my best friend," Olette reasoned, "I don't want to leave her!"

"And Sora's my friend, too," said Haynar, "If we leave now, I probably won't see him again. Besides, you know as well as I do what kind of world this is."

"I know you guys don't want to, but what choice is there?" Rikku tried to reason out.

Off to the side, the two groups saw the Sora and his friends running towards the Sacred Hearts Cafe. The group could only wonder why they were in such a hurry, considering what was happening to the entire Town.

"Princess, Riku, Mog, Pluto, we're almost there," Sora thought to himself, "Just hold on!"

* * *

At the Sacred Hearts Cafe, Mog whimpered in fear, after waking up, along with Pluto. Mog was afraid to look up to see what was going on, out of fear that Balthier might be waiting on the little moogle.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kairi walked alone, around the streets of Twilight Town, going in the same direction as before when she was in her trance.

"My...Heart Fragment..." Kairi thought to herself.

Kairi continued walking, as if she were drawn to her Heart Fragment, not knowing what kind of dangers lie ahead.

* * *

Sora and his friends finally made it back to the Sacred Hearts Cafe, only to find it in ruins. To their disbelief, they found the damages to the place strange. The damages done to the place was not caused by swords, magic, or any other kind of destruction. The entire place looked like it was defragmented.

Sora and his friends approached their ruined shop and saw how much damage was done to the entire place. "What happened here?"

"How did this happen?" Goofy pondered as he looked around the destruction.

"Princess Kairi! Riku!" Sora called out. He then heard someone moaning and something whimpering. Next to the sofa, he saw an awakened Pluto and Mog, emerging from behind the sofa. Sora ran to their side to check on their injuries. Luckily, these two hadn't suffered anything harmful.

"What happened here?" questioned Donald.

"Where are the others?" asked Sora.

"Riku..." Mog was still saddened by what happened to the teenager. "...was defeated by a Heartless, kupo." Hearing this news shocked Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"What about the Princess?" Sora continued asking.

"Mog and Pluto fainted earlier, so we don't know, kupo," informed Mog. "_He_ probably took her."

"Who?" asked Sora.

"His name was Balthier, kupo," Mog answered.

"Balthier was here!?" Sora thought in shock, "He couldn't have defeated Riku, could he?"

"He also has Kairi's Heart Fragment with him," Mog continued to inform.

Sora couldn't believe it. Of all people, his one-time master, has the Heart Fragment he had been searching for. Could this mean he has to fight the man who taught him how to fight? Clenching his fist, Sora knew what had to be done. If this meant fighting Balthier to get the Heart Fragment, then so be it. Sora never knew this was going to happen. He came to realize fate had a nasty habit of pitting him against unexpected situations, especially one as big as this one.

"Donald, Goofy, please take care of Mog and Pluto," advised Sora.

"Do you stand a chance against him?" Goofy asked, worried about Sora's safety.

"No," Sora answered truthfully, "I know I'm not powerful enough to defeat him. But, I have to try."

Donald and Goofy understood Sora's decision, albeit reluctantly. "All right," Donald agreed, "Do what you have to do. But if you're not back, me and Goofy will finish this."

"Thanks, you guys," said Sora.

Sora ran out of the ruined cafe, to where Balthier would be waiting for him. Sora knew the one place Balthier would be at...

* * *

Balthier waited patiently near the clock tower area, leaning against a wall. Balthier continued to stare at the floating Heart Fragment in his hand. As he stared at the object, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. Balthier didn't have to look to see who it was. In fact, he was expecting this person to show up.

"I knew _you'd_ be the one to show up alone, Sora," Balthier stated bluntly.

"Where is the Princess?" asked Sora, as he tightened his grip on his Keyblade, only to receive a shrug from Balthier. "You're the one who sent the Heartless after Riku, right?"

"That's right," Balthier answered calmly.

"What happened to Riku?" Sora interrogated.

"Dead," Balthier said bluntly.

Sora was shocked to hear Riku's fate. Riku become one of Sora's best friends during their journey together. And now, Riku is no longer among the living. Sora's heart was starting to fill with anger towards his former master. However, Sora knew what would become of him. Now was not the time for revenge, for it would lead him to darkness. "I'm on a journey, looking for something," informed Sora, "Riku was one of my best friends. He was traveling with us. I can't let you get away with this." Sora pointed his Keyblade at Balthier, bravely challenging him.

Balthier smirked at Sora's declaration of a challenge. "You haven't changed a bit, Sora. You're exactly the same...when we first met."

Sora remembered that day perfectly. That day was one of the fateful days for the young Keyblade master.

* * *

_In the late afternoon at Destiny Islands, Little Sora stood against a wall in the village, hugging a book to his chest defensively. He was surrounded by thieves and thugs, who were trying to take the book away from him and sell it off._

_"Hand that over, kid!" the first thief demanded._

_"I bought this book," Little Sora pleaded, "My father has been looking everywhere for this book!"_

_"Well then, it looks like we'll have to beat the stuffing out of you to get that book!" the second thief smirked.  
_

_The second thief thrust his hand out, attempting to reach Little Sora and beat the poor boy up. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a young man, well-dressed, appeared out of nowhere and caught the thief's hand. The young man easily flipped the thief over, effectively knocking him out. The thieves the thugs saw the young man knock their comrade out and charged at the man. Unfortunately for them, they were of now match for the young man's expertise in hand-to-hand combat as they were easily thrown around.  
_

_Little Sora was astonished by the young man's strength and approached him, while still holding the book close to him. "Thank you, sir."_

_"No need to thank me, kid," the young man said, "I'm actually after that book of yours." Hearing this made Little Sora tightened his grip on the book, ready to defend it, even knowing how powerful this young man was. "You don't have to be so uptight. I'm not going to take it. There are just a few pages I want to see." Little Sora was still suspicious of the man's intentions. He wasn't sure if he could trust this man. "There should be a page about beings who live off the blood of a demon, due to an experiment." _

_The man's reasons caught Little Sora's interest. Little Sora knew what kind of beings the man was talking about. "You mean like a genetically enhanced human?"_

_"You're very smart, kid," said the man._

_"My father gave me a book about them," Little Sora said, "But they're just legends."_

_"I'll let you in on a little secret: they do exist," the man said truthfully. Little Sora couldn't believe it. The legends were really true? "There are two people who have gone through an experiment, using the blood of a terrible demon. They're the ones I'm looking for."_

_"Are you saying there might be something about that, written in this book?" asked Little Sora._

_"I can't say for sure," replied the man, "But there might be some clues."_

_After hearing the man's story, Little Sora offered the man the book. "Here," Little Sora offered._

_"Are you sure?" the man tested, "I could have been lying this whole time, and I could just take it and run."_

_"I don't know myself if you're lying or not," Little Sora responded, "But I do believe that you have been looking for those two people for a long time."_

_The man smirked in amusement, but nonetheless took the book from Sora and began reading the contents.  
_

* * *

_Later that evening, Sora and the man sat at a resting place of Destiny Islands. The man read the book that Little Sora lent him.  
_

_"The writings in this book are a lot different from the current writing system here," the man noted._

_"My father told me that it was an ancient writing this kingdom once used," Little Sora explained._

_The man smiled in amusement. "Well, it looks like I'm stuck," the man sighed, "I don't know how to read these letterings."_

_"You're not from here, are you?" asked Little Sora._

_"You're no different, either," the man answered._

_"What kingdom did you come from?" Little Sora questioned._

_"Well, let's just say I'm a foreigner," the man stated._

_Little Sora noticed when the man face him, his right eye reflected the moon light. "Your eye..."_

_"It's the same as yours, isn't it?" the man noticed._

_"How did you know?" asked the surprised Little Sora._

_"While you were running from those thieves, I noticed the sunlight reflecting off of it," the man explained._

_Little Sora realized that this man was no ordinary traveler. He was something else. "What kind of job do you do?"_

_"Well, mainly, I'm something of a pirate," the man stated, "But part-time, I'm a hunter, since it pays bigger than being a plain pirate. It's my job to hunt down demons for a price."_

_"No wonder you're so strong," said the amazed Little Sora, "Those two humans with demon blood, are you hunting them, too?"  
_

_The man slowly shut the book in resignation. "This could be a problem," the man said, "I don't know anyone who can read this for me."_

_Little Sora stood up to the man. "I can read it," Little Sora offered, "My father taught me. In return...please teach me how to fight."_

_The man was surprised by the boy's request. This was a big request coming from a boy his age. However, Balthier could see something in his eyes: determination. "What's your name, old boy?"_

_"My name is Sora," Little Sora answered._

_"My name...is Balthier," Balthier introduced._

* * *

That day probably marked some kind of destiny that would eventually intertwine with each other in the near future for both Sora and Balthier.

"You were exactly like that back then, Sora," Balthier mused, "But, you know as well as I do that I can't be beaten that easily." As if on cue, a group of Heartless appeared before Sora, next to Balthier. Sora immediately went on the defense, with his Keyblade ready at hand. "The Heartless act on instinct, so it's a little hard to control them. For instance, it's hard to tell them who to attack and who not to attack." Sora immediately fought off the first Heartless that charged at him, easily repelling the dark creature. "What I'm after is the A-1 Heartless. According to what I heard, the A-1 Heartless has the strength and magical abilities to grant someone power, just like those demon-blooded humans."

"So that's what you're after," Sora realized as he was fighting off the Heartless.

"That's right," responded Balthier, "The A-1 Heartless might be the ones that I'm looking for. That's the only reason I came to this world."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kairi appeared at an alleyway, where the Heart Fragment was guiding her. There was nothing around. No people, no Heartless, nothing.

"What is this place?" Kairi asked herself. She then heard a sound of someone fighting. Looking the alley, she saw Sora fighting off some Heartless. "Sora!"

Sora continued to fight off the Heartless until he vanquished the last one. Sora was exhausted from the fight, almost to the point of no energy left.

"You've gotten strong," Balthier noted, "It's not perfect, but you're able to sense attacks on your right side now. And that weapon of yours seems to be the only thing the Heartless are not very fond of." Holding his hand out, a dark aura began to collect around Balthier's hand. Soon, the dark aura began to take shape of something in the hunter's hand.

Kairi emerged from the alley, in time to see what Balthier was now holding.

The dark aura took a solid shape of an evil looking dark sword. "If I'm going to meet this powerful Heartless, I'll have to get rid of those who can defeat it...even you." Balthier charged at Sora with the dark sword in his hand. Sora was too exhausted to get on the defense as he watched Balthier charging at him. "Sorry, old boy. But you'll have to die for me."

Kairi reached out in distress for Sora as she watched his former master charging at him. Everything felt sounded so silent in Kairi's ears, until she heard the sound of piercing. Sora didn't even scream. He merely stood there in shock as he saw the blade run through his body. It was too late. Kairi gasped shock as Balthier's blade was embedded in Sora's torso.

As Balthier removed his sword, Sora screamed in pain, before he found himself surrounded by fragments of light. Before becoming semi-transparent. "See you later, Sora," Balthier waved.

Sora's body was starting to disappear into the fragments of light. Kairi watched as her close friend was just inches away from vanishing. She didn't want it this way. Kairi couldn't bear to watch her friend disappear before her very eyes. "Sora!" Kairi yelled in distress.

Sora turned around to see Kairi running towards him. Within range, Kairi was surrounded by the fragments of light, and soon, her body was starting to become semi-transparent. "Princess, no! Get away!" Sora yelled.

"Sora..." The Princess knew she was already disappearing, but she didn't want to leave Sora behind.

"Princess, you have to run!" Sora tried to warn.

"No!" cried Kairi.

"Please, at this rate..." Sora reasoned, knowing it's not going make a difference in his situation. Even if he were to disappear right here and now, at least to him, Kairi would be safe.

But Sora wasn't prepared for what Kairi did next. Kairi wrapped her arms around Sora's neck, holding him closer to her. "I don't care..."

"Princess..." Sora couldn't believe Kairi's ultimate decision.

Kairi was not willing to leave Sora behind for any reason. They've been through a lot together, for better or worse, and their relationship has gotten stronger and stronger everyday, to the point of Kairi showing feelings right now. Even if he were disappearing, she was not going to watch him go. If Sora was going to disappear for good, then she was going to disappear with him. Life for Kairi was not going to be the same without Sora. She would rather disappear than live without her close friend.

Sora and Kairi knew this was it. They looked into each other's eyes in sadness, until finally, there was nothing left.

Balthier, having finished Sora off, simply walked off. Now that Sora and Kairi are gone, what's next? Now it's only Donald, Goofy, Mog, and Pluto left. How will they take the news of their friends' disappearance? How can they continue their journey?

* * *

_**To be continued…**_


	18. Welcome to Twilight Town: Redux

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - past_

**Bold - previous parts in chapter and another voice  
**

* * *

**Kairi reached out in distress for Sora as she watched his former master charging at him. Everything felt sounded so silent in Kairi's ears, until she heard the sound of piercing. Sora didn't even scream. He merely stood there in shock as he saw the blade run through his body. It was too late. Kairi gasped shock as Balthier's blade was embedded in Sora's torso.**

**As Balthier removed his sword, Sora screamed in pain, before he found himself surrounded by fragments of light. Before becoming semi-transparent. "See you later, Sora," Balthier waved.**

**Sora's body was starting to disappear into the fragments of light. Kairi watched as her close friend was just inches away from vanishing. She didn't want it this way. Kairi couldn't bear to watch her friend disappear before her very eyes. "Sora!" Kairi yelled in distress.**

**Sora turned around to see Kairi running towards him. Within range, Kairi was surrounded by the fragments of light, and soon, her body was starting to become semi-transparent. "Princess, no! Get away!" Sora yelled.**

**"Sora..." The Princess knew she was already disappearing, but she didn't want to leave Sora behind.**

**"Princess, you have to run!" Sora tried to warn.**

**"No!" cried Kairi.**

**"Please, at this rate..." Sora reasoned, knowing it's not going make a difference in his situation. Even if he were to disappear right here and now, at least to him, Kairi would be safe.**

**But Sora wasn't prepared for what Kairi did next. Kairi wrapped her arms around Sora's neck, holding him closer to her. "I don't care..."**

**"Princess..." Sora couldn't believe Kairi's ultimate decision.**

**Kairi was not willing to leave Sora behind for any reason. They've been through a lot together, for better or worse, and their relationship has gotten stronger and stronger everyday, to the point of Kairi showing her feelings right now. Even if he were disappearing, she was not going to watch him go. If Sora was going to disappear for good, then she was going to disappear with him. Life for Kairi was not going to be the same without Sora. She would rather disappear than live without her close friend.**

**Sora and Kairi knew this was it. They looked into each other's eyes in sadness, until finally, there was nothing left.**

**Balthier, having finished Sora off, simply walked off. Now that Sora and Kairi are gone, what's next? Now it's only Donald, Goofy, Mog, and Pluto left. How will they take the news of their friends' disappearance? How can they continue their journey?**

* * *

_**Chapter 18: Welcome to Twilight Town - Redux**_

* * *

After witnessing the disappearance of his one-time student, Balthier just merely stood on the Twilight Town Clock Tower, watching over the entire town. As he looked down on the town, he noticed that there was nothing left.

"Everyone in this town has disappeared," Balthier noted, "And Sora is dead..." Balthier held out the Heart Fragment he has in his hands, which still continued to glow a brilliant light. "Now there's no one else to stand in my way." The Heart Fragment started to grow more brightly than before, and soon, the moon above him started to change colors.

* * *

The Heartless that still lingered in the town managed to sense the change in the moon and the powerful energy the Heart Fragment was giving off. They began to react differently, and soon, a small group of Heartless began to gather together into one big black clump. What was going on with Twilight Town?

The Gullwings and the Twilight Kids ran around the streets of Twilight Town, looking for any survivors. Much to their dismay, they found the entire place completely empty. But along the way, they found a group of Heartless joining together, and then, they took the form of hawk-like Heartless.

"Look at that!" Olette exclaimed.

"I've seen it in the records before, too," said Yuna.

"That's the A-3 Heartless," Hayner realized.

The two Heartless Extermination Squads got their weapons ready as the A-3 Heartless charged at the two skilled groups.

* * *

Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy kept Mog and Pluto company. They were still on standby until Sora and Kairi returned. The group was still saddened by the untimely fate of Riku. Despite the bad times Donald seemed to have with Riku, he didn't want the silver-haired teenager gone. Riku was a great ally, and a really good friend. Their travels will seem less livelier without him.

Donald and Goofy sat around their ruined house with Mog and Pluto. Pluto stood guard with Donald, on the lookout for any lingering Heartless. While they stood guard, Donald and Pluto noticed a giant bird-like Heartless hovering into the sky.

"Mog can feel Kairi's Heart Fragment," Mog informed, "But it feels so weird, kupo."

The bird-like Heartless noticed Donald and the gang and flew towards them. As the bird-like Heartless closed in on the gang, Donald readied his wand. When it was close enough, Donald unleashed one of his magic spells.

"Fira!" Donald cried out. With a powerful fire spell, Donald vanquished the incoming Heartless with ease.

From outside the house, the Gullwings and the Twilight Kids, having doing away with their Heartless, noticed Donald defeating his Heartless. They looked around and noticed that Twilight Town is still suffering the drastic changes that has been plaguing the entire Town.

"This is bad," Pence noted.

"Are you guys okay?" asked Rikku.

"We're just fine and dandy," Goofy replied, "What about you guys?"

"We'll live," Paine simply replied.

* * *

Little did the Heartless Exterminators know, Balthier was watching them like a hawk.

"Well, I guess aside from Sora and that kid, there are still others that could get in my way," Balthier commented to himself as he eyed the glowing Heart Fragment in his hand, "Time's running out. It's time to start moving the pieces ahead."

From where Balthier was standing, the Heart Fragment started glowing in a brilliant light, and soon, everything started to get transparent slowly.

* * *

Donald and the rest of the Exterminators, as well as Mog and Pluto, noticed the entire Town starting to disappear. Was there anything the heroes could do to prevent all these strange disappearances?

"This is getting weirder by the minute," said Rikku.

"What's happening to the park?" Paine asked.

"If this game ends, we won't be able to know who is who anymore," Hayner realized.

"What are you all talking about?" asked the puzzled Donald.

"Hey, Donald, do you know if Sora and Kairi look the same as before?" Olette asked in a panic, shaking Donald crazily.

"Yeah, are they still the same as they were here?" Hayner asked, joining Olette in shaking Donald.

Donald could understand that they were extremely worried for their friends' well-being, but he just couldn't take them shaking him like crazy. "Get off of me!" Donald commanded, getting Olette and Hayner off of him, "I still don't know what you're talking about."

"What do you mean by 'the same' and 'game?'" asked the confused Goofy.

"Mog doesn't understand, too, kupo," said Mog.

The Twilight Kids had no time to explain themselves when everyone turned their attention to a blanket of light, which was coming their way. As soon as the blanket of light covered them, they saw everything disappearing in the light's trail. Soon, the Stooges, Mog, Pluto, the Gullwings, and the Twilight Kids saw themselves disappearing as well. Finally, there was nothing left in the house.

* * *

In a local bar, Edea silently played her piano, knowing full well what was happening to the entire Town. The fact that Twilight Town was disappearing into nothing didn't seem to bother her one bit.

"And so, the dream ends," Edea said as she played her piano, "But this may be the beginning of a nightmare..." Edea finally disappeared along with her bar as she shut her piano for one last time.

* * *

**Guest Number: Beta-435691. Dead.**

**Guests have been forcefully evacuated from Twilight Town.**

Sora's eyes were blurry at first, but he found himself at a strange world. The last thing he remembered was when he was killed by Balthier. Was this heaven? Why does he see so many pods around? Looking around this strange new world, Sora also found himself in some kind of pod.

"What is this place?" Sora asked himself. Behind him, he heard someone knocking on his pod. Turning around, he was completely surprised to find a familiar face smiling and waving at him. "Riku!" Sora exclaimed in joy, "I can't believe it! You're alive!" Riku then pointed off in another direction. Sora looked off to where Riku was pointing, and much to his surprise, he found Kairi sitting in one of the pods as well. "Princess!" Sora called out.

Kairi found herself coming to. She looked around the place and felt as if someone was calling her. Turning to where she felt she was being called, she found Sora and Riku waiting for her. She couldn't believe it. Sora was still alive.

"Princess!" Sora called out again. When their pods opened, Sora and Kairi ran towards each. Soon, they found themselves in a warm embrace, thanking the heavens that they were still alive and well. Sora and Kairi stared into each other's eyes, smiling deeply that they were still able to see each other again. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm glad you're okay, too," said the smiling Kairi. Sora and Kairi then realized how close they were. Sora and Kairi pulled away from each other, hiding their blushing faces. Embarrassment washed over them, as both young teenagers were at a loss for words, but they were both glad nothing bad had happened to them.

While Sora was hiding his blushing face from Kairi, he also noticed that Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Mog were sleeping inside their own pods. "They're here, too."

"You didn't think I died, did you?" Riku asked as he walked up besides Sora and Kairi, "Technically, I _did_ die in Twilight Town."

"What do you mean?" asked the confused Sora.

Riku motioned the two teenagers to follow him through a hallway, illuminated by lights on the way. As they walked, Riku began to explain everything. "What you went through was Twilight Town," Riku began explaining, "Well, to be exact, that wasn't the _real_ 'Twilight Town' per se."

Sora and Kairi didn't quite understand what Riku meant by that. How can the place they were at be Twilight Town and not be Twilight Town at the same time? Those answers were soon revealed when Riku opened a double-door to the outside.

Much to Sora and Kairi's astonishment, they found themselves in the same place as before, only different. They were in some kind of amusement park. "_This_ is real Twilight Town we landed in," Riku revealed, "From the looks of everything, we're in a place they call 'Sunset Park.'"

"Sunset Park?" asked Kairi.

"It's most likely an amusement park in Twilight Town," replied Riku.

"But I don't remember being in that egg-shaped pod," Kairi recalled.

"Me neither," said Sora, "All I remember was arriving in that other Twilight Town. I don't even remember arriving in this one."

"That makes sense," Riku spoke up, "When I 'died' and arrived here, I was just as confused as you two."

"If you don't mind, I can explain everything to you." Sora, Riku, and Kairi turned around after hearing someone speak up behind them. It was a woman, probably in her mid 30s or so, wearing glasses with one eye unusually closed. "It's nice to meet you all. My name is Shalua."

"She's the one of the people in charge of this place," Riku introduced, "She's also the one who told me everything."

"In fact, all your memories of arriving in this Town have been erased," Shalua added in. "But don't worry. Your memories should be returning momentarily."

Sora still couldn't understand what was going on. However, on cue, his head suddenly began to hurt. "Sora!" Kairi called out, distressed. But then, she began to feel something familiar coming back to her.

* * *

_The pods were still open, preparing some of the people from Twilight Town. While preparations were going on, Sora and his friends suddenly appeared from the air and landed in their own pods. Sora grunted as he crashed into his pod, while Kairi yelped when she landed in hers._

_Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Mog weren't in much shape. Although, Mog, being the happy little moogle that he is, could only laugh on his "wild" trip._

_"Can't you land us on a better spot, you stupid plush toy!?" yelled the cranky Donald._

_"What kind of place is this?" Goofy asked as he looked around._

_"I think we're about to find out," replied Riku._

**_Welcome to the Dream Capsule._**

**_Please have a wonderful dream, everyone._**

_The party's pods began to close on cue, and soon, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Mog's eyes began to feel heavy until they could no longer keep them open._

_Kairi herself was no exception as she even began to feel very sleepy, until she fell back in her pod. Sora tried to break free to save the Princess, but soon, Sora began to feel drowsy. Sora's vision began to blur as he watched the Princess fall asleep, until everything went black._

_"Princess...!"_

* * *

It all came back to the two young teenagers. So that's what happened.

"You remember now?" Riku asked the two.

"Yes," answered Kairi.

"So then, that Twilight Town we were just in was..." Sora realized.

"Just a virtual reality version of this one," Shalua finished.

"Now I understand," said Sora.

"It's kind of like viewing a dream in that egg-capsule," Riku began explaining.

"So it was just a dream?" asked the Princess.

"Yup," replied Riku, "Fighting the Heartless, running the shop, everything you do in there is pretty much a popular game here in Sunset Park."

"A game?" asked the puzzled Kairi.

"So everything that we've been through was not reality, but just a game," Sora concluded, "But now that I think about it...it's no wonder that game's City Hall have been keeping track of the Heartless' movements."

Shalua led the three back inside the pod chamber, where they found more people still in the virtual reality game. Among them, they found Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Mog still sleeping in their pods.

"Looks like they're still sleeping," Riku commented.

"While we're still here, they're still dreaming in that other Twilight Town," noted Sora.

"Yes. They are all still dreaming, yet, at the same time, they don't realize it's a dream," Shalua explained.

"But, if that was a virtual reality world, why do I still feel Donald's magic seal on me?" Sora thought to himself.

"However, at the moment, there is an unexpected problem," said Shalua.

"A problem?" asked Sora.

"Yes. Because of that, we had to close the park down and evacuate everyone," replied Shalua.

"What's happening in there?" Sora asked.

"You know about the person interfering with the system, right?" asked Shalua.

There could be only one person who is capable of doing that. Only one person came to Sora's mind. "Balthier..."

"Please, tell me all about him," Shalua requested.

"Why do you need to know about him?" asked Sora.

"Because at this rate..." Before Shalua could explain everything, an alarm began blaring around them.

There was definitely something going on in the dream world. All of them turned to see what was going to happen to Donald and the others. Much to their horror, right in front of them, they saw their bodies disappear from within the egg-capsule.

"Shalua, what's going on?" Riku questioned.

"Because of that man's interference within the game, everything in that game is becoming reality," answered Shalua.

"What!?" said the completely surprised Sora.

And Shalua was right. Sora, Kairi, and Riku looked outside and saw the outside of Twilight Town changing, beginning to resemble the nighttime version of the Virtual Twilight Town. Everyone ran outside to see how bad the damage was. Perhaps with luck, they'll be able to find Donald and the others there as well.

"Sora, look!" Kairi pointed out a gigantic hovering bird-like Heartless, making Sora and Riku get into their defensive stance, ready to fight off the Heartless.

As Sora stared at the Heartless, he looked above the Heartless' head, and he saw a familiar person standing on top of it. "It's Balthier!"

* * *

Elsewhere, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Mog, the Gullwings, and the Twilight Kids materialized from out of nowhere. Now that the virtual Twilight Town has merged with the real one, even the inhabitants have become as real as the real world.

At first, they couldn't believe their eyes. But here they were, in the real Twilight Town. They saw the destruction from the virtual Twilight Town showing up in the real one. "This is Sunset Park..." Olette said in disbelief.

"We even still have our weapons from the game," Hayner noted, looking at his sword.

"Not just us and our weapons. Look!" Donald informed, pointing off in her direction.

Much to the surprise of everyone, they also realized that even the Heartless have invaded the real world. Before them was a hovering bird-like Heartless, ready to strike down on the real Twilight Town.

"That's impossible!" Rikku exclaimed in disbelief.

"The Heartless are here, too!" exclaimed Goofy.

"Donald, look!" Mog stood on top of Donald's head and pointed at the head of the hovering Heartless.

Above the Heartless, Mog recognized the figure standing there. Balthier noticed the presence of Donald and the gang.

Paine held her sword tightly in her hand and whipped it out, already eager to fight. "This guy is obviously strong. I'll take him on," declared Paine, as she walked towards Balthier's location.

"Paine, you're not thinking of..." said Goofy.

"You can't be serious! You can't face him!" Hayner warned sternly.

"This world is getting weirder and weirder by the minute!" Pence added.

"Paine, please don't do this!" pleaded Yuna.

Paine stopped in her tracks. Perhaps their words have taken their toll on the cold-looking woman. However, this was not the case. "I don't know exactly what's happening to this world, but I'm not going to watch it get worst. We have to make a stand eventually. And I'm going to make a head start." Paine then eyed Balthier. "Sora is probably dead because of this guy. So I'm going try and finish things off for him." With those words, Paine continued forth bravely, holding her sword firmly in hand.

* * *

Sora and the others watched as the hovering Heartless roared into the air in triumph.

"We have to find out how that man managed to change the virtual reality into reality," Shalua informed the group, "Not just this park, but Twilight Town itself is in grave danger.

"It's most likely because of the Princess's Heart Fragment," Sora concluded, surprising Kairi, "Right now, Balthier has the Princess's Heart Fragment. That has to be what's causing all this."

"That's the source of the problem," noted Riku.

**Intruders in the danger zone.**

The intercom alerted Sora and the others with its urgent news. "Show the screen," Shalua commanded the computer.

A screen popped up in front of them, showing the current activity in the destructive location. On the screen, they found Paine, looking ready to do battle.

* * *

Paine stood on a ruined structure, to meet eye level with Balthier, who could only stare back at the black-clad woman with amusement.

"I heard you killed someone at Sacred Hearts," Paine informed Balthier.

"I can't lie to a woman," Balthier mused.

"Where is Sora and Kairi?" interrogated Paine.

"Dead," he replied bluntly.

Paine was not the type of person to show emotion, but hearing their deaths stirred up something in Paine's heart: anger. "I see," Paine responded. Paine then drew her sword and pointed it at Balthier, challenging him. "Then it's time I killed you."

Paine, without warning, jumped towards Balthier, slashing downwards at the man. Balthier proved that he wasn't a man to be underestimated as he easily dodged the attack, jumping off of the Heartless he was standing on. As he fell to the ground, Paine followed after him with her sword ready. Both of them landed on solid ground. Balthier was noticeably calm, with Paine just ready to strike again.

"That was a rather close call," Balthier stated calmly as both strands of his hair fell off.

"You're pretty good," said Paine.

Using the power of darkness, Balthier summoned some dark energy into his hand, until a sword finally took shape. "I haven't had this much fun for a while," said the amused Balthier, as he gripped his sword.

* * *

Donald and the others watched as Paine battled Balthier. As they watched, Mog noticed a group running towards them. When they were visible enough, Mog instantly recognized who they were.

"Sora!" Mog said in joy and in relief.

"Sora, it's you!" Hayner said in disbelief.

"Are you guys okay?" asked the concerned Sora.

"Yeah," answered Rikku.

"Kairi!" Olette yelled in joy as she ran to her friend and clasped her hands in hers. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Me too!" replied Kairi.

"Riku!" Mog happily jumped off of Donald's head and hugged Riku. Riku returned the hug to the little creature, laughing in joy along with the moogle. "Riku is alive, kupo!"

Pluto ran happily towards Kairi. Kairi bent down to pet the yellow dog and in return, receive some licks from Pluto, making the Princess giggle.

"Watch out!" Shalua warned everyone.

The hovering Heartless raised its tail up and brought it back down in full force. Sora and the others ran out of the way to find shelter as the tail hit the ground hard, spreading dust and debris everywhere. Sora and the others took refuge under a ruined structure.

"Looks like Paine is right. We have to make a stand," Donald realized.

"So it seems," said Yuna.

"But can we fight as we could in the game?" asked the unsure Olette.

"If that thing was able to become real, then our powers should be as real, too," Donald theorized.

"That's true," said Shalua, "But this is reality as well. If you're not careful, there are no resets. If you want to destroy that Heartless, then you'll have to cut off that man's power source, whatever that may be."

"And that power source is the very object that I'm searching for," said Sora.

"You said that back then, too," said Hayner.

* * *

_Sora raised his Keyblade in front of himself, reminding him of the reason why he began his journey, "There's something I'm trying to get back."_

* * *

"Is that what you were talking about?" asked Hayner, receiving a nod in response. "What is it exactly?"

"It's something that's very important to someone very precious to me," Sora answered truthfully. Hearing this surprised Kairi completely. Was Sora actually being serious? Kairi is very precious to Sora?

Hayner noticed something in Sora's eyes: determination and courage. To Hayner's eyes, Sora was a perfect example of a true warrior. Hayner realized that even though he was more skilled than Sora, he would never match Sora's determination or courage combined. Hayner held out his fist towards Sora, making Sora have a puzzled look on his face. "We'll cover you!"

Seeing what Hayner had in mind, Sora clicked his knuckles with his friend.

"We'll help, too!" announced Goofy.

"Yeah. I'm a little scared right now, but I'll do my best!" said Olette.

Donald kept an eye on the battle between Balthier and Paine. Balthier, with his sword in hand, went into his offensive stance, ready to attack Paine. "In the end, to fix this mess, we have to do something about that guy's power source," Donald concluded.

"Everyone, thank you very much," said the grateful Sora.

"Ugh! Sora, stop being so polite!" Hayner said in an annoyed tone.

"Oh, right, we're not in that game anymore," Sora laughed embarrassingly, while scratching his head.

"Please be careful, Sora," Kairi advised.

Sora held a thumbs-up for Kairi. "Don't worry. I'll go on ahead." Sora said, earning a nodding approval from the Princess.

"All right! Let's do this!" Donald declared to everyone.

With their respective weapons, Donald led the Exterminators on a full-scale attack on the gigantic Heartless, covering Sora as he made his way to Balthier.

* * *

Meanwhile, swords were clashing against one another as Balthier and Paine fought. Apparently, with the way they were fighting, both combatants seemed to be on equal terms. Paine tried to make a slow slash at Balthier's legs, only to hit nothing but air as Balthier flipped over the cold-looking woman. Balthier and Paine locked their blades together in a stalemate.

"You're pretty good for a cold-looking girl," Balthier complimented.

"I hope you weren't underestimating me," Paine smirked.

Suddenly, Balthier's sword came to life. The blade itself tried to strike at Paine at close range. Fortunately, Paine was able to dodge the unpredictable attack and draw back. Their swords continue to clash against one another and they locked their blades together again.

"I heard you were the one who taught Sora how to fight with swords," noted Paine, "Your movements are just like his."

Balthier smirked at Paine's comment. There was no denying it. Without warning, Balthier thrust his blade upwards, throwing Paine off guard. Then, Balthier thrust his hand out towards Paine, unleashed a beam of magical energy. The magical energy threw Paine back, making her hit the ground.

Despite being hit with a powerful magical energy, Paine showed that she was not going to too easily.

Sora arrived at the scene of the fight and noticed the weapon in Balthier's hand. The sword that stabbed Sora was a broadsword. This time it was different. Balthier's sword was a katana, and only Sora knew what that meant. "Balthier...is serious," Sora noticed.

Balthier and Paine gripped their respective weapons firmly and charged towards each other, determining to finish this fight off once and for all. Sora ran towards the combatants, still determined to retrieve the Heart Fragment from Balthier.

Before the final blow could be struck, Mog appear out of nowhere and spat out a ball of light, which landed in between Balthier and Paine, stopping them in their tracks. When the light disappeared, all that was left was a sign. "What's this?" asked the puzzled Paine. She then turned to the source of where the projectile came from and found Sora, Kairi, Riku, Pluto, Mog, and Shalua. "You guys!" she said in surprise.

Balthier was surprised as well to see Sora and Kairi alive and well. "Ah, so you're still alive after all." Balthier's weapon disappeared from his hand. "Sorry, my lady, but it looks like my fight stops here." Balthier then reached into his pocket and showed a magical object that shone beautifully in a bright light.

Sora instantly recognized what that object was. It was a Heart Fragment! Mog's eyes went wide-eyed as soon as the little creature detected the object.

The light glowed so brightly, that it caught the attention of everyone else. "Is that what Sora is looking for!?" Hayner asked, covering his eyes from the bright light.

"My Fragment..." said Kairi.

"That's the one. That's what's turning the game into reality," said the astonished Shalua.

"But what for?" asked Riku.

The platform Balthier was standing on broke away from Paine and Sora, levitating Balthier into the air. As Balthier stood on the floating platform, Balthier held the Heart Fragment out. "Now, come forth...the ultimate Heartles, the A-1 Heartless!" Balthier summoned.

With the Heart Fragment's light streaming upwards into the air. Then, an enormous light illuminated, blowing away at everyone. Paine planted her sword into to the ground to help keep her footing. Sora kept a tight grip on a structure to keep himself from being blow off. Riku shielded Kairi and Mog from the blinding light. Donald and the others were forced to shield themselves from the blinding light, but they witnessed the Heartless they were fighting disappear because of the light.

Within the light, a floating platform emerged, along with someone else, a female. "I've finally met you," said Balthier, "You're the A-1 Heartless everyone was talking about, right?"

"You've finally found me," Edea commented.

Away from them, Donald and Goofy instantly recognized the woman. "It's her!" exclaimed the surprised Donald.

"I know that person," said the surprised Kairi.

"You've met her before?" asked Riku.

No one couldn't believe their eyes. Edea was really the A-1 Heartless that the Exterminators feared. "I had a lot of trouble searching for you, Miss Edea," said Balthier.

Sora stared at the two in complete astonishment. Is she the one Balthier is looking for? Is Edea another enemy?

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**A/N - Sorry about the delay, everyone. I've been busy with a lot of things lately. **


	19. The Final Game

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Italic - past_

**Bold - previous parts in chapter and another voice**

_**Italic bold - thoughts**_

* * *

**Before Shalua could explain everything, an alarm began blaring around them.**

**There was definitely something going on in the dream world. All of them turned to see what was going to happen to Donald and the others. Much to their horror, right in front of them, they saw their bodies disappear from within the egg-capsule.**

**"Shalua, what's going on?" Riku questioned.**

**"Because of that man's interference within the game, everything in that game is becoming reality," answered Shalua.**

**"What!?" said the completely surprised Sora.**

* * *

**Within the light, a floating platform emerged, along with someone else, a female. "I've finally met you," said Balthier, "You're the A-1 Heartless everyone was talking about, right?"**

**"You've finally found me," Edea commented.**

**Away from them, Donald and Goofy instantly recognized the woman. "It's her!" exclaimed the surprised Donald.**

**"I know that person," said the surprised Kairi.**

**"You've met her before?" asked Riku.**

**No one couldn't believe their eyes. Edea was really the A-1 Heartless that the Exterminators feared. "I had a lot of trouble searching for you, Edea," said Balthier.**

* * *

_**Chapter 19: The Final Game**_

* * *

Balthier continued to hold the Heart Fragment in his hand, which hovered inches away from it. Edea immediately had her attention concentrated on the bright fragment in the hunter's hand.

"Ah, so that's the object that you've been using to change the game into reality," said the intrigued Edea.

"You're right about what I've been doing with this, Edea," Balthier replied to the woman, "Thanks to this, I've finally found you--the witch, as powerful as the A-1 Heartless, said to grant incredible power to anyone who desires it."

"But I don't get it," Goofy said to Donald as he watched the two.

"Something on your mind?" asked Donald.

"If she's not exactly a Heartless, what makes her so powerful as the A-1 Heartless?" Goofy pondered.

The Gullwings and the Twilight Kids knew this was going to be one hard, long battle against this powerful witch. They immediately got their weapons ready, fully aware of the dangers that may come.

"So she's the one who entered our cafe?" Riku asked Kairi.

"Yes. Up until now, I just thought it was all a dream," Kairi responded.

"What are we waiting for?" the anxious Hayner spoke up, "Let's go to where Sora and Paine are!"

Suddenly, in Balthier's hand, surprising everyone, the Heart Fragment began sparking, which in turn, caused the entire place to be ruined. Trees merged with ruined buildings, new buildings turned to ruins, newly restored buildings merging with others in a slanted way, everything was just total chaos. Part of a ruined building fell off from its weak structure and down to the ground. The impact of the fallen structure startled Kairi, making her yell in fear. Luckily, Riku and Goofy were immediately and protected Kairi from any incoming debris.

"Princess Kairi!" Sora yelled in distress.

"Sora, what's going on!?" yelled Paine.

"The Fragment's power is getting out of control," Sora answered, "The virtual world is starting to become reality."

"What!?" Paine couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe how much power such a small magical object can do.

* * *

Edea noticed how much of the Heart Fragment's power was going out of control. "It seems you can't completely control that power," Edea noticed.

"So you noticed, eh?" Balthier mused.

"Of course, because I know who is the true owner of that Fragment," said Edea as she gazed at Kairi.

* * *

Seeing enough of how much the place is getting ruined, Donald held his magic wand tightly. "Let's go get 'em!" Donald declared to the Exterminators.

Donald led the charge against Balthier and the mysterious Edea. They all bravely ran to their new enemies, until he were immediately stopped by a group of familiar figures.

"Welcome to Twilight Town! Welcome to Twilight Town! Welcome to Twilight Town! Welcome to Twilight Town!"

Donald and the others were surrounded by a group of maids that they first encountered when they first arrived in the virtual Twilight Town.

"What's going on?" Yuna wondered as she look around them.

Even the receptionist at the Twilight Town City Hall made her appearance as well. "Welcome to Twilight Town! Please fill your names in these papers. It seems everything is in order. Now, there's the matter of where you will be taking residence and what your job is. If you're in a hurry, you can sell any items you currently have with you. We refer to them as the "Heartless Extermination Squad." They make their living collecting their payment from defeated Heartless."

"Welcome to Twiligh-- Welcome...welco...wel...wel...we..w...w...w...w...w..."

Seeing this seemed to frighten the life out of Olette. "Make it stop!" Olette covered her eyes and turned away towards Rikku. The maids began stuttering like a computer would until they vanished completely from the Exterminators sight like a computer shutting down.

"That was just weird..." commented Rikku.

"You were right, Riku," said Shalua, "That Fragment that Sora was talking about is the source of the problem."

As more and more buildings merged with others, a sign dropped in front of Sora. Sora was shocked to see what kind of sign he was looking at. This sign said: Sacred Hearts - Home of the Three Stooges! Although it was not his real one, the Sacred Hearts Cafe was like a home to him and his friends. Seeing how much destruction was being created because ofBalthier's use of the Heart Fragment, not to mention Balthier's indirect destruction of their cafe, reignited something within Sora's heart. And Sora realized this has to end...right here and right now.

"What are you going to do, Sora?" Paine questioned.

"I'm going to retrieve the Princess's Heart Fragment," said the determined Sora.

Paine couldn't believe Sora's pure determination. Sora knew the dangers ahead of him, but she also witnessed the fire burning within the youth. She watched as Sora ran off towards Balthier and Edea, determined to finish his reason for being in Twilight Town.

* * *

"If you wanted to meet me that badly, you could've played through the game until you met me," said Edea.

"That's true," replied Balthier.

"If you went into the dream capsule, you could've fought your way through the Heartless, until you encountered the final boss, me," stated Edea, "You see, the virtual Twilight Town was designed to be that way."

"But, that would've taken a great deal of time," Balthier simply said, "And personally, time isn't my greatest ally."

* * *

Riku and Kairi, along with Pluto and Mog, ran towards where Sora was. Paine was the only one they could find. They found her defending herself against a group of Heartless that began surrounding her. Soon, another group of Heartless appeared and surrounded the Princess and her friends. Fortunately, Donald, Goofy, theGullwings, and the Twilight Kids arrived in time to form a perimeter around Kairi and her friends, easily vanquishing the Heartless that appeared.

Everyone found Sora climbing up to higher grounds to face Edea and Balthier. Sora was climbing a ruined roller coaster track to get on higher grounds.

"We're coming, too!" Rikku called out as she finished off her share of the Heartless.

"Reinforcements are on the way!" Goofy called out.

While climbing the posts, Sora's hand slipped off and they found Sora falling off the posts.

"Sora!!" Kairi screamed in distress.

Luckily, Sora managed to quickly grab on to a post, saving himself from his demise.

Everyone was about to rush to assist Sora, but Donald immediately used his blizzara magic to create an ice wall, cutting everyone off. "Don't move," Donald commanded sternly.

"Why?" Paine asked, not understanding Donald's actions.

"If you're looking out for Sora, then just stay back," Donald informed, "Right now, this is his fight, and there's a seal that he wishes to break."

"I guess we'll have to do what we can on our end," Riku commented as he drew his sword for combat.

* * *

"Isn't there a complaint that you want to talk to me about?" asked Edea, "When powerful Heartless Exterminators appeared, I used you to keep myself hidden."

"You told them I was a Heartless, didn't you?" Balthier smirked.

"Yes, I did. I stated the truth. There was a young man who was controlling the Heartless," Edea explained, "Though, I never realized that young man was not a Heartless after all."

* * *

Riku, having heard Edea's side of the story, continuously dodged and parried the attacks coming from another incoming group of Heartless. "I get it now. Edea's been fooling us since day one," realized Riku.

Donald continued to use his magical skills to fend of his share of the Heartless. "Why would she want to fool us, though?" asked Donald.

"In order to make the game more interesting, we intentionally leak out information," explained Shalua, "Non-player characters aren't allowed to talk about other things."

"'Non-player characters?'" asked the puzzled Goofy as he repelled some Heartless.

"What are those, kupo?" asked the curious Mog.

"In the game, the living people like us are the ones called the player characters," Yuna explained as she fought of some Heartless.

"But among them, characters like the City Hall receptionist are controlled by the game itself, and not by anyone else," Olette explained more.

"Those people are known as non-player characters, or NPC as we call them," concluded Pence.

"The Heartless are a perfect example of that," Hayner added in.

As the Exterminators, Donald, Goofy, and Riku fought off against the horde of the Heartless, they watched as Sora continued to climb up to face his old master and this mysterious Edea. The Gullwings and the Twilight Kids couldn't help but admire Sora's determination. They witnessed Sora's true strength - it was all coming from his determination to retrieve that something for his friend.

When the Gullwings and the Twilight Kids explained the whole story about the NPCs, Donald recalled something about what Sora said, during his training. "I understand what Sora meant now," Donald recalled, "The Heartless don't give off a living energy, but they're still capable of attacking in the game."

* * *

"You also live in the real world, and play the role of the A-1 Heartless," said the observant Balthier, "I heard that you are also capable of grant incredible powers of darkness to those who ask you for it," said Balthier.

"The rumors are true, young man," Edea answered calmly, "I grant power to those who swear loyalty to me."

"Well, since we're completely honest with each other, how about I just get right to the point," Balthier smiled amusingly, "Are you by any chance...related to a demon...named 'Jenova?'"

There was silence between the young hunter and the dark witch, until Edea finally broke the silence. "I know nothing of this Jenova," answered Edea.

* * *

"She's actually one of founders of the Twilight Town amusement park, like me," Shalua revealed to everyone.

"Then what's with the idea of being given great amount of power?" asked Riku.

"Whoever manages to beat her will have his or her character leveled up to maximum stats," replied Shalua, "With those kinds of stats, you'll be virtually unstoppable. That's what it all means."

"Now I get it," Riku realized, "Balthier must have mistaken that power for something else."

* * *

"Well, if that's the case, then do you know anything about two people with Jenova's blood?" asked Balthier.

"No...I do not," replied Edea.

Balthier could only sigh in defeat upon Edea's revelation. "It looks like I made a wrong turn again," Balthier sighed.

"It's a shame I couldn't live up to your expectations," mused Edea.

"Well, if those two aren't here, then I might as well just move on ahead," said Balthier.

"If you're leaving, perhaps you can do something about the mess you've caused here," said Edea, as she indicated the destruction around them.

"Once I leave this place, things should return back to normal in a while," informed Balthier, "Unfortunately, the Heartless are the ones who will be staying."

"That not only puts the park in danger, but Twilight Town itself, as well," stated Edea, "Heartless are strange creatures. They are almost difficult to vanquish."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Balthier said bluntly, "All you need is a Keyblade master." Balthier noticed a presence standing behind him.

Turning around to see him, he saw Sora standing tall on a platform he just finished climbing, with his Keyblade firmly in hand. "Balthier...I'm on a journey, looking for other Fragments like the one in your hand."

"Knowing that it's not yours to begin with?" asked Balthier.

"Even so." The Exterminators and Sora's friends witnessed Sora's bravery, as he willingly challenged his former master for possession of the Heart Fragment. "Because what you have in your hand...is something very precious...to someone very important to me,"Sora said with determination. Sora proved his dedication to Kairi in front of everyone, even knowing he was not powerful enough to defeat Balthier. Kairi, too, was touched by Sora's pure dedication.

With his Keyblade firmly in hand, Sora pointed his Keyblade towards his former master, challenging him. "Do you still want to fight me?"

"You were the one who taught me how to use swords in the first place," Sora answered calmly, "I know I'm not powerful enough to defeat you. I realized that when you and I fought in the Virtual Twilight Town. But, no matter what the obstacles, I vow to retrieve the Heart Fragments." Suddenly, surprising friends, his body began to glow with the same color as when Donald put a magic seal on him. After a while, the glowing aura aroundSora broke apart. Sora knew what this meant. Sora knew, in his heart of hearts, he was officially ready to wield magic. "I know I don't know how to use magic, but even if there's a slight chance of winning, I'll take those chances!"

Jumping into the air with his Keyblade, Sora thrust his weapon forward, shooting out a fire magic towards Balthier. The flame magic engulfed the entire platform that Balthier stood on.

"Did he get him?" asked the anxious Hayner.

"No," answered Riku.

Riku's answer was correct. Balthier jumped out of the flame, completely unscathed, thanks to a magic shield Balthier set up. "Magic isn't exactly your forte, but you're quickly adapting to it," noted Balthier, "The more obstacles you overcome, the stronger you become. If you continue to let your strength support you, your strength alone will lead you...even if the truth that waits at the end isn't what you expected," lecturedBalthier. This surprised Sora. Since when did Balthier retake the job of a teacher again? Sora then noticed something shine in Balthier's right eye, and then, a dark portal opened a way for him. "If you're still going to look for this Fragment, then I'm sure we'll see each other again," saidBalthier.

Sora realized Balthier was going to officially leave Twilight Town. Desperate to retrieve the Fragment, Sora jumped off his platform and jump towards Balthier's. "Stop!" Sora yelled as he reached towards the Heart Fragment.

"Until we meet again, Sora." Balthier bid farewell to his former student, and then entered the dark portal, taking him to an unknown destination.

Unfortunately, Sora didn't make it in time, and he was only inches away from reaching the Heart Fragment before the portal completely closed on him.Sora hit his fist on the ground in frustration. _**I failed...**_ Sora was overcome with the guilt of failing Kairi.

Kairi watched Sora hit the ground in frustration, and grew worried about his reaction. "Sora..."

Suddenly, from where Balthier vanished, a spark of energy appeared, keeping everyone on alert. "This is bad," Edea informed Sora.

"What's going on?" asked the alert Sora.

"The man's Fragment is gone, but it's power is still lingering. It is only a tiny bit of energy, but the result of him jumping through different worlds has increased the Heartless' strength here." A Dragon Heartless appeared from where Balthier vanished. Edea used her magical platform to hover to the ground. "You must escape, young man. The Heartless here are now too powerful. Even I can't keep them in check anymore." And Edea was right. Edea used her magic barriers to repel any incoming Heartless.

"I'll do something about it," Sora declared, as he switched to his offensive stance.

"Why would you do this?" asked the surprised Edea.

"The Fragment is the reason why this mess is happening," Sora explained, "So I can't escape this."

Shalua immediately saw more incoming Heartless heading their way. "Everyone, get out while you still can!"

"Not on your life!" said the stern Hayner.

"We're Heartless Exterminators, we can't ignore this!" declared Olette.

"But this isn't a game," Shalua warned, "If you screw up, you'll lose your life for good."

"We know that this is no game, but you forget, we're Heartless Exterminators," Yuna replied as she helped gun down her share of the Heartless.

"We've already risked our lives in this fight, so there's no turning back now." Paine swung her blade around, vanquishing some of the incoming Heartless.

"You're right." Shalua approached by the group's side. "If we don't fight now, Twilight Town will be utterly destroyed."

"...Everyone, please save Twilight Town from the Heartless," Edea requested.

"You can count on us!" Goofy exclaimed, giving Edea a thumbs up, "We'll take care of everything!"

"We sure got some cleaning up to do," Riku commented, getting into his defensive stance.

"I may not be strong enough to fight, but I'll stay by everyone's side," Kairi declared, as she held Mog in her arms and she was accompanied by Pluto, who barked in response to Kairi's declaration.

"That's the spirit, kiddo!" Rikku smiled, as she placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder.

Sora was touched by their courage. It seems that the Keyblade master had something of an influence towards them. Smiling at their courage, Sora could only say this to his friends, "Thank you...everyone."

The Heartless began their attack against everyone, while the Exterminators, Riku, Donald, and Goofy fought off against the small Heartless, Sora headed off to fight against the Dragon Heartless.

Olette provided cover fire for herself and Kairi, who stood behind her. Pluto stayed by Kairi's side, ready to defend the Princess any time. And Mog stayed safely in Kairi's arms. "Stay behind me, Kairi," Olette advised as she provided cover fire. Kairi nodded in response to her friend's warnings.

Edea suddenly used her magic platform and grabbed Kairi with her, getting her into a safe spot. "Your name is Kairi, correct?" asked Edea.

"Yes," replied Kairi.

"I can't allow you to get hurt," said Edea.

"But..." Kairi wanted to be by everyone's side.

Edea noticed it as well, but she still stood by her words, and for a good reason, as well. "It's be your are very precious to him." Kairi realized Edea's observation when she watched Sora fight off the Dragon Heartless. "Sora has gotten stronger and stronger than before."

"How do you know that?" asked Kairi.

"Through a song," replied Edea.

"A song?" asked the puzzled Princess.

"After the Fragment had caused many strange occurrences within the game, there was a power that was exactly the same. Young Kairi, that was you. That's why I went to meet you. Through your song, I was able to see what you've been through. In your memories, there were many dreams about that boy, Sora. And you, too, correct?" Kairi didnt' realize how much Edea saw in her memories. "He thinks of you, just as you think of him..." Kairi realized that Edea was right. Sora did admit that she was very important to Sora. It was like she was his life. She couldn't explain it herself, but she feels touched by Sora's unconditional dedication.

Although, Kairi couldn't help but admit the same thing. In her heart, she also held a mutual feeling for him. _**I must admit...Sora is someone very precious to me, too.**_

Sora bravely fought off against the Dragon Heartless, combining his Keyblade skills with his magic spells. Sora's Keyblade was infused with flames, which helped him deal double damage to not only cut, but to burn the Heartless fiend.

"He is truly strong," Shalua observed in astonishment.

"I never thought the training he endured in the VR game would benefit him in the real world. The man, Balthier, managed to turn the VR into a real world. Even if it wasn't real, there are many things from the real world that are truly reality. Stories...and memories..." said the observant Edea.

Edea was right. Despite it being a virtual reality, everything from the heart was real. "I think you're right, Miss Edea," said Kairi as she smiled at this revelation.

"You're right!" Yuna exclaimed as she continued to open fire on her enemies.

"We're no different!" exclaimed Pence.

Everyone remembered all the happy times everyone had spent in the virtual Twilight Town. All the laughs, all the battles they went through, it was all real.

"All the times we spent together was real," Hayner recalled during the battle.

"It was like we were destined to meet," Paine commented as she vanquished some Heartless.

"Me and Kairi becoming friends was all real," Olette recalled.

"The promise I made with Sora was all real," said Hayner.

Sora made the final blow to the Dragon Heartless. With his strength, coming from the purity of his heart, Sora made a downwards slash on the Dragon Heartless, vanquishing the Heartless once and for all.

The battle was over. The Twilight Town was now free from the horde of Heartless.

Sora returned to the Princess, who smiled at the Keyblade master's safe return. "I'm so glad you're okay," Kairi smiled.

"Princess, I'm sorry I couldn't retrieve one of your Fragments. But I promise you, I'll continue to retrieve your Fragments," Sora vowed, earning a nod from his friend.

Mog suddenly began to glow in Kairi's arms and began to levitate into the air. The party knew what this meant.

"What's happening?" asked the surprised Hayner.

"It's time for us to get going," answered Donald.

"We still have to look for the Princess's Heart Fragments, and look for the King," Goofy added.

"You're leaving?" From Olette's tone, one could tell that she didn't want any of them to leave, especially since she's made all of them her special friends.

Mog began to glow in a brilliant light. "Mog Moogle is to go! Kupo!!" Mog howled. Mog then sprouted his wings of light, emitting a magic light around the party.

"I'm going to miss you, Kairi!" Olette called out, with tears leaking her eyes.

"Take care of yourself, kiddo!" Rikku saluted.

Kairi saluted back to Rikku and Olette. "I will."

"Sora, will we meet again?" asked Hayner.

"Who knows? But, I won't give up!" Sora held out his fist, like he usually did with Hayner, as a sign of friendship and respect. Hayner held his fist out as well to his friend.

With words of parting, the light energy began to slowly engulf the party, giving the party a few more seconds to see their friends one last time until they disappeared.

The journey continues, and despite more obstacles appearing before Sora and his friends, they will keep fighting.

* * *

Unknown to everyone, from a dark world, Xemnas watched Sora and his party leaving Twilight Town, along with Larxene.

"Things ended differently than we expected," Larxene noted.

"They didn't manage to retrieve this Fragment...for now. But it makes no difference in finding the locations of the other Fragments," said Xemnas, "It only makes things all the more satisfying."

"Perhaps it's time to make the next move..." Larxene said to herself.

* * *

_**To be continued…**_


	20. Day of the Street Rat

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**It doesn't matter who is who, when it comes to wishes...because everyone has a wish...**

**But when a wish is granted, is that called happiness?**

* * *

**_Chapter 20: Day of the Street Rat  
_**

* * *

In a dark world, deep within the unknown place, Larxene stared at a glass water tank, which contained an unknown teenager, who wore the same trench coat as Larxene and her leader, Xemnas. No one could tell what was going on through her mind as she kept watch of the tank.

"What are you up to?" Xemnas questioned, as he approached behind her. Larxene didn't provide an answer, though she didn't ignore him at the same time. "Are you planning on waking him up?"

Larxene remained silent for a few seconds. "No...it's just..." Larxene didn't finish, and she continued to watch the unknown teenager trapped in the water tank.

"What?" Xemnas questioned, hinting some suspicion.

"I was just realizing that that day will eventually come," Larxene finally answered.

Although Xemnas was still suspicious of Larxene's behavior, he also realized that she was right. That "time" will eventually come by. Whether that will spell doom for him or aid whatever his plans are is unknown.

* * *

_In the middle of the night, a lone bandit traveled through the sandy dunes in a haste. The bandit held something precious in his bag and held it tightly, fearing that he will lose it in his haste._

_After traveling throughout the desert, he finally encountered a mysterious dark figure, who stood on one of the dunes._

_"You are late," Jafar noted._

_"A thousand apologies, oh patient one," said the bandit._

_"Do you have what I asked for?" asked Jafar._

_"I had to take some lives, but I have it." The bandit presented what seemed to be a golden item. From the looks of the item, it seems to be one half of an insect, a beetle. Before Jafar could take the item from the bandit, the bandit quickly took back the golden beetle, waving his finger in a "no-no" gesture. "Ah, ah, ah. The treasure first."_

_Without warning, a red bird, Iago, appeared out of nowhere and swooped down the bandit's hand, swiftly taking the golden beetle away from him and presenting it to Jafar._

_"Patience, my friend, you'll have your reward, just as soon as everything is in order," assured Jafar, __"You'll get what's coming to you," Jafar said quietly. Jafar took from his robe another half of the beetle. Combining the two halves together, the golden item began to glow gold, and then it took off like a real-life beetle, leaving behind gold dust in its trail. "We must follow that trail!" Jafar and the bandit rode off in their camels, following the trail._

* * *

_Jafar and his bandit servant rode off, following the trail, which finally landed in an unusual clump of sand. _

_"Yes, at long last...after all my long years of searching...the Cave of Wonders," Jafar declared proudly._

_As if on cue, the big clump of sand rumbled the desert around Jafar, the bandit couldn't keep his balance and fell to the ground from the rumble. The clump of sand rose from the ground, until it formed into what seemed to be the head of a tiger._

_Jafar turned to his bandit servant and grabbed his shirt, jerking the lowly man towards him. "Now remember, bring me the lamp," Jafar ordered the bandit, "You can have the rest of the treasure, but the lamp is mine."_

_The bandit eagerly stepped forward into the open mouth of the tiger's head, seeing the treasures as his worthy profit. Suddenly, upon stepping in, the tiger's head rumbled, causing the bandit to immediately run out of its mouth._

_Then, the tiger-head suddenly began to speak in an ominous voice. "Who disturbs my slumber?" the tiger growled._

_"It...is I...a humble thief." The bandit bowed before the tiger-head, trying to show respect out of fear._

_"Know this...only one may enter here," the tiger warned ominously, "One who is worth by far within...a diamond in a rough."_

_Jafar and Iago looked at each other, puzzled by the giant tiger's message. They have never heard of the legends saying anything about allowing someone "worthy" to enter the Cave of Wonders. _

_"Well, what are you waiting for!?" asked the impatient Jafar, "Go on!"_

_The bandit did as ordered, though he was hesitant to enter the Cave of Wonders. The bandit hesitantly set one foot into the tiger's mouth and cringed in fear. After waiting for a few seconds, nothing seemed to happen, which made the bandit sigh in relief, until the cave began to rumble with him in it. The bandit panicked for his life and immediately tried to sprint back out of the entrance._

_Unforutnately, it was too late for the bandit. The giant tiger collapsed its gigantic jaws, taking the bandit down with him, into the unforgiving sands. Jafar and Iago were shocked to see what transpired._

_"Great! Just great!" Iago stated sarcastically, "We went through all that trouble for nothing! We're never going to get that lamp!"_

_"Patience, Iago," Jafar calmed the fiesty parrot, "We just simply need to find someone more 'worthy.' Only one may enter. I find this one, this...diamond in the rough."_

* * *

In the middle of the morning, the citizens of a desert city were doing their usual morning activities: talking with friends, shopping, working, etc. Around the city, there were guards, stationed practically everywhere, suspicious for any sign of trouble that may appear.

Nothing could prepare anyone, when suddenly, in a flash of light, Sora and the party appeared out of nowhere. Sora and the guys appeared on the ground, with Kairi sitting on top of them, albeit unintentionally.

"Here we are, kupo!" Mog announced happily to the group, as the moogle landed in front of the downed Donald.

Donald immediately grabbed the moogle's head in anger. "What's the big idea landing me at the bottom, you dumb plush toy!?" Donald demanded from the Mog. During Donald's usual tantrums, a piece of paper slowly descended itself upon Donald's hat.

"Hey, Lulu must have sent us a note, kupo!" Mog announced.

"From the sorceress?" Riku took the paper off of Donald's hat and began to read it. Unfortunately, the characters couldn't be translated. They were different, and strange. "This is going to be hard to read," Riku commented, as he attempted to read the note.

Mog jumped up and grabbed the note from Riku's hands. Taking the note in his hand, Mog hopped up on top of Riku's head and began reading it. "Mog can read it, kupo!" Mog apparently knew the characters very well, considering that Mog was with Lulu in the beginning, before traveling with his friends. "It says here: I will be expecting double on White Day. But I'll be expecting triple if it's late. Don't forget... -Lulu."

"What's White Day?" asked Goofy.

"White Day is when women expect gifts on March 15, in return for the chocolates they send to that person on Valentine's Day," Mog explained.

"Come to think of it, we did eat those chocolate cakes on Valentine's Day in Twilight Town," Sora recalled.

"Riku suckered me into it, though," Donald recalled, grumbling.

On top of Riku's head, Mog suddenly went wide-eyed, alerting everyone. "It's here, it's here! The Fragment is definitely here, kupo!" Mog informed excitedly.

"Sora!" Kairi felt so lucky. Things were certainly looking up for the Princess.

"Leave it to me, Princess," said Sora, "I'll be sure to retrieve your Fragment this time..." Sora's vision began to blur for some unknown reason. Soon, Sora's body began feel limp and his body fell back into unconsciousness.

"Sora!" Kairi gasped in distress.

* * *

_At Destiny Islands, the day time was giving way to sunset. Within the island that Sora worked at, Sora found placed that used to be a garden. Day by day, Sora would visit the garden. The young teenager took it upon himself to plant some beautiful flowers. And thanks to Sora's efforts, the former garden had regained its beautiful image. Sora would also be the only one who would tend to the flowers alone, giving them water, planting more flowers, etc._

_As Sora watered the flowers, new and old, someone approached behind him._

_"What are you doing here, Sora?"_

_Sora turned around to see who was calling him. Much to his surprise and joy, he found his childhood friend smiling at him. "Hi, Kairi," Sora greeted with a smile._

_Kairi approach Sora's side and sat next to him as he finished watering the beautiful flowers. "After studying the caverns in this island, I found out that there used to be a garden right around the island a long time ago."_

_"So you were the one who planted these flowers?" asked Kairi, as she observed how beautiful the flowers were._

_"I wanted to restore the garden to how it was a thousand years ago," said Sora._

_"They're so pretty...and they smell so nice..." Kairi said, as she smelled the soothing scent of the flowers, "Hey, Sora, can I tell everyone about what you did here?" Sora gave her a questioning look. Kairi sat up from the ground, to see more of the flowers. "A lot of people come here to relax," Kairi informed, "They're all wondering who was planting the flowers here. Taikai will definitely hear a lot about this place. Taikai said that if he finds who ever planted these flowers, that person will gain his respect."_

_"Um, do you mind if you just keep this between us?" Sora requested, making Kairi give him a questioning look, "Can you keep it a secret, at least for now?"_

_Kairi wasn't sure why Sora wanted to keep it a secret, but having the idea of keeping a secret with her best friend seemed to make her happy. "Sure, I'll keep it a secret." Sora smiled in response to Kairi's promise. He knew he could trust Kairi. "I feel so happy, though. The only ones who know about this place is you and me!"_

_"This will be our little secret, Sora."_

* * *

Sora seemed to come around, after some lickings from Pluto. When his vision began to refocus, he saw Kairi and Mog peering over him.

"He's awake, kupo!" Mog announced happily.

Sora got up and found himself on a futon. Around the place, he found himself in a poor place to live. The walls had some holes, big and small; everything from pottery to clothings was disorganized. Obviously, this place didn't belong to a fortunate person.

"Are you okay, Sora?" Kairi asked out of concern.

"What happened to me?" Sora asked as he checked himself for any injuries.

"You passed out by the time we entered this world," Goofy informed.

"You shouldn't work yourself too hard, Sora," Riku advised, "You should take it easy once in a while."

Then, a young man, wearing a purple vest, white pants with a patch on it, and a red fez. On his shoulder, was his pet monkey, who wore a purple vest and fez. In his hand was a large loaf of bread. "Sorry I'm late, everyone. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to get this bread," the man said, indicating the bread in his hand.

"He was the one who helped you, after you collapsed," informed Riku.

"Thanks for your help, sir," said the grateful Sora.

"Hey, don't sweat, kid." The man broke off some pieces of the bread and handed them their share of the food. "After you collapsed, your friend here was pretty worried about you," the man said, indicating Kairi, "Since no one was helping, I decided to let you stay in this hut of mine. By the way, I haven't introduced myself. My name's Aladdin. This is my friend, Abu."

"It's nice to meet you. My name is Sora," Sora introduced, "This is Donald, Goofy, Riku, Pluto, Mog, and Princess Kairi."

"You're not from around here, are you?" Aladdin noticed, "Where did you all come from? You all just came out of nowhere in the sky."

"Well..." Sora paused, "We're from a far away land. We're on a journey researching various legends from different lands."

"You must have been on quite a journey, for you to collapse like that," commented Aladdin.

"Do you know of any legends in this country? It doesn't have to be recent. Any events will do," Sora requested.

"Well, there haven't been any legends I've been told of. Sorry, but that's what happens when you're a street rat. You're never told the facts," said Aladdin.

"A street rat? Is that some kind of creature, kupo?" asked the curious Mog.

"No, no, little guy," Aladdin chuckled, "A street rat is what they call me, since I'm the local thief of Agrabah."

"You're a thief?" asked the surprised Donald.

"Hey, a guy's gotta survive, right?" mused Aladdin, "There are a lot of starving people around Agrabah. Even the children are unfortunate."

Aladdin motioned everyone to follow him and Abu outside. Everyone got up from the ground and followed after the street rat, curious about what Aladdin was about to show them. Mog hopped onto Goofy's head as he walked out of the hut.

* * *

Aladdin showed them the streets of Agrabah. Aside from the shopping stands and entertainers around, Sora and his friends noticed some of the poor people within the alleys of Agrabah. Men, women, and even children showed how unfortunate they were. Kairi couldn't help but feel sadness in her heart, seeing the children starving, as she eyed her loaf of bread.

"It's like this every day," said Aladdin, "These people have nothing to eat or sleep in. Every now and then, I help these people. I steal for them, so that they don't have to get in trouble with the guards that chase me."

"It's terrible that no one is helping them," commented Donald.

The group then saw Kairi walking up to a couple of children, who were digging through a pile of garbage, desperately seeking food to eat, even if the food quality isn't healthy. Kairi then kneeled before them, breaking her loaf of bread in half "Here you go," Kairi kindly handed her loaves of bread to the children. The children, touched by Kairi's pure kindness, happily took the bread and gave Kairi a hug. The Princess could only smile happily, to see the children smile, as she watched they run off to go eat.

Sora smiled proudly at Kairi. He knew that Kairi was the most kindest, selfless person in their kingdom. Even though she lost her memories in the beginning, her kind heart never left her, not even once.

* * *

_At Destiny Islands, Little Sora and Little Kairi walked around the streets of Destiny Islands, just enjoying their afternoon stroll together. Despite Taikai's natural disliking to Little Sora, Little Kairi took Little Sora out for a walk, completely ignoring her brother's complaints._

_"Where do you think we should go, Sora?" asked Little Kairi, excited to spend more time with her childhood friend._

_"Hmm, I don't know...we could hang out at the beach..." Little Sora reluctantly thought of, not sure where to take the Princess._

_While the two were walking, Little Sora and Little Kairi noticed something shining on the ground. They both kneeled to the ground to pick it up, until they realized it was 100 munny._

_"Wow, I can't believe we actually found one!" exclaimed Little Kairi._

_"Yeah, we're sure lucky!" said the excited Little Sora._

_Before Little Sora could put the munny away, they noticed someone at the fruit stand, purchasing a box of paopu fruits. "Here you are, sir! One box of paopu fruits!" the fruit stand owner announced._

_"Thank you! How much do I owe you?" asked the customer._

_"Let's see..." the fruit stand owner took a look at his chart to see the cost of one box, "That will be 500 munny, sir."_

_The customer took a look in his pouch to see if there was any munny for him to pay. Unfortunately, he came up short. "Oh, no..." said the distressed customer, "I only have 400 munny..."_

_"...Sorry, sir, but I can't let you have these fruits without enough munny..." the owner apologized._

_"My daughter was looking forward to them, too," the customer sighed, disappointed.  
_

_Little Sora and Little Kairi noticed how upset the customer was to have only 100 munny short. Little Kairi then eyed the 100 munny they picked up. "Hey, Sora, let's let give him the munny we found," Little Kairi suggested._

_"Huh?" Little Sora said, surprised and not understanding why._

_"He needs it more than us," explained Little Kairi, "Besides, we have a lot as it is."_

_Little Sora took a look at the munny in his hand and the munny in his pouch, and noticed a big difference. He realized that his friend is right. The customer really needs it for his daughter. "Yeah, you're right, Princess," Little Sora nodded. Little Sora then gave the 100 munny to Little Kairi._

_Taking the 100 munny in hand, Little Kairi walked up to the customer, who was still upset about not having enough munny. "Excuse me, sir," Little Kairi greeted the customer._

_"Oh, Princess," the customer said in surprise._

_Little Kairi held her hand out, revealing 100 munny in her hands. "Here. Go ahead and take it, sir," Little Kairi offered._

_"100 munny? You're giving it to me?" Little Kairi nodded to the customer. "Oh, I can't take this from you, Princess. This is yours," the customer politely refused._

_"You really need it more than us, sir," Little Kairi said, "My friend and I have enough for ourselves, so you can take this one."_

_The customer, hesitant at first, reluctantly picked up the 100 munny from Little Kairi's hands, then smiled at the kind Princess. "Bless your kind heart, Princess."_

_Little Kairi smiled after seeing how happy the man is. Little Sora, who was watching the whole thing, was truly impressed by the Princess' act of pure selflessness. The boy smiled proudly at how kind Little Kairi truly is._

* * *

Sora and his friends continued walking around the streets of Agrabah. Sora and his friends, minus Aladdin and Abu, kept a look out for any sign of Kairi's Heart Fragment. Because of Mog's early discover of the Heart Fragment, it could be close by, waiting to reveal itself to Sora and his friends.

As they walked around the streets, they noticed a beautiful young woman, probably in her late teens, wearing a cloak, walking towards a stand of apples, where they saw a boy jumping up to grab an apple. The woman noticed how hungry the boy was.

"Aww, you must be hungry," the woman took pity on the boy. The woman simply took the apple from the stand and handed it to the hungry boy. "Here you go." The boy happily took the apple from the young woman and ran off to go eat.

Unfortunately, the woman was caught red handed. The apple stand owner saw the woman pick an apple from his stand, and without paying. "You better be able to pay for that," the man said coldly to the woman.

"Pay?" asked the woman.

The owner suddenly grabbed the woman by her wrist and jerked her towards him, making the woman wince in pain. "No one steals from my stand!" the man exclaimed angrily.

"I-I'm sorry, sir, I don't have any money," the woman tried to reason out, but to no avail.

"Thief!" the owner yelled in an outrage.

"Please, if-if you let me go, I can go to the palace and borrow some for the Sultan," the woman tried to reason out again.

The owner placed her wrist on his stand, drawing his sword from his waist. "Do you know the penalty for stealing?" The man raised his sword into the air, ready to make a devastating blow!

Kairi shut her eyes tightly and cringed into Sora's shoulder, not wanting to see what's going to happen.

Aladdin didn't want to see the results either, and began marching up to the fruit stand owner. Before the sword came down on the helpless woman's wrist, Aladdin caught the man's hand in the nick of time. "Oh, thank you, kindly, sir!" Aladdin exclaimed, pretending to be grateful and taking the man's sword away, "I'm so glad you found her!" Aladdin then turned to the woman behind him. "I've been looking all over for you," Aladdin scolded.

"What are you doing?" the woman whispered.

"Just play along," Aladdin whispered.

The owner grabbed Aladdin by his shoulder. "You know this woman?" the owner questioned.

"Sadly, yes," Aladdin replied, playing as if distraught by the woman's behavior, "She is my sister." The woman was surprised to hear Aladdin come up with a lie like that, but nonetheless went on with it. "She's a little crazy." The woman gawked at Aladdin's white lie, as if insulted by his remark.

The owner tugged Aladdin's vest towards him. "She said she knew the Sultan!"

Aladdin removed the owner's grip off of his vest. "She thinks the monkey is the Sultan," Aladdin said, indicating Abu, who was about to steal something from the owner's camel.

Abu quickly withdrew from his activity, trying to play innocent. When the woman realized that the owner was watching her suspicious, she decided to play along with Aladdin's lie, at least for now. "Oh, wise Sultan!" the woman said, bowing before Abu, "How may I serve you?" Abu realized what was going on and began composing himself as the Sultan, chirping commands. Sora, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy looked at the woman strangely. They simply had no words to say about the woman's odd behavior. Riku, on the other hand, just stood there, amused of the situation.

Aladdin motioned his hands behind his back to Sora and the others to grab an apple for him. Not hesitating for a moment, Donald immediately sneaked up behind Aladdin and picked up an apple from the stand, while Aladdin distracted the owner. Donald then handed the apple to Aladdin's hand behind his back. "It's tragic, isn't it?" Aladdin asked the owner, trying to gain sympathy. Taking the apple in hand, Aladdin tossed an apple to the fruit stand owner. The street rat's intention was to "replace" the stolen one that the woman took. "But no harm done." Aladdin then walked up to the bowing woman and helped her up to her feet. "Now, come along, Sis. Time to see the doctor." Aladdin helped the woman walk off.

"Oh, hello, doctor," the said to the camel, still playing along with Aladdin's lies, "How are you?"

"No, no, no, not that one," Aladdin knew this had to come to a stop, before the woman gets completely carried away, "Let's go home, you guys. Come on, Abu."

Abu tried to bow, after giving a "splendid performance." Unfortunately, when the monkey bowed before everyone, all the things Abu sneaked into his vest fell out, surprising every stand owner around them. Apparently, Abu was now officially caught red-handed. "Uh-oh, we're busted, kupo!" Mog said playfully.

The fruit stand owner noticed all the things that were stolen, before Abu quickly gathered them all up. The fruit stand owner realized it was all a trick. "Come back here, you thieves!" the fruit stand demanded, already trying to chase them down.

"We'd better skedaddle!" Goofy warned to everyone, making everyone make a run for it.

Sora and the others ran far away before the fruit stand owner could call the guards on them.

* * *

Sora and the others managed to enter a ruined hut, giving them a chance to catch their breaths. It was a long run. The sun was already setting.

"That was a close one," Riku sighed.

"We must've ran pretty far," Sora panted.

Suddenly, without warning, a group of men, wearing white turbans, carrying swords, surrounded the group. One of them, a large man, grabbed Aladdin by his wrist and tossed him into his men, who retrained the helpless street rat. "We just keep running into each other, don't we, street rat?" the head guardsmen mused.

"Let him go!" the woman demanded, stomping up to the head guardsmen.

"Oh, what's this? A street mouse?" the head guardsmen rudely shoved the woman to the ground, making him and the others laugh amusingly.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy charged at the head guardsmen, trying to help free their friend, only to end up being pushed back into the ground.

"Sora!" Kairi ran to Sora's side and helped up him.

"Gawrsh..." Goofy rose back from the ground, a little dazed from being pushed back violently.

"What's the big idea!?" Donald demanded.

"Nothing personal, duck. Just business," said the head guardsmen.

The woman forced herself back up defiantly to the guards. "Unhand him!" The woman then removed her hood, revealing herself. "By order of the Princess!"

The guards turned to the woman, and they were completely surprised to see who the woman truly is. The head guardsmen immediately cowered in fear, now knowing who he had just shoved. "P-princess Jasmine!" The head guardsmen and his men immediately bowed their heads before the revealed Princess, with the men forcing Aladdin to bow before her.

"A princess?" asked the surprised Aladdin.

"This is a surprise," Riku commented.

"What are you doing outside of the palace? And with this street rat?" asked the head guardsmen.

"That's none of your concern! Release him!" Jasmine ordered.

As much as the head guardsmen wanted to, he couldn't obey Jasmine's orders. "I would like to, Princess, but my orders come from Jafar," the head guardsmen reasoned, "You'll have to take it up with him." The head guardsmen bowed respectfully before the princess before walking away with their prisoner.

"Believe me, I will," Jasmine whispered to herself. Jasmine turned to Sora and the others, who were just as surprised as Aladdin to know that she was truly a princess. "I have a favor to ask of you. Please come with me to the palace. I'm going to have a word with Jafar. Plus, I have some explaining to do, after all I've put you through."

Sora got up from the ground, with Kairi's help, and dusted himself off. "Won't we get in trouble if we're inside the palace? We're not part of the royal family," Sora indicated.

"Don't worry," Jasmine assured, "You and your friends will be my guest. It's the least I can do after what you've all been through."

Sora bowed respectfully before Jasmine. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Let's go." Jasmine began leading Sora and his friends through the streets of Agrabah, heading towards the palace, which stood out in the center of Abrabah.

Sora and his friends couldn't help but worry about Aladdin's well-being. They didn't know who this Jafar was, but they hoped that was happening their friend. While Aladdin may be a thief, he was very honorable. Only time will tell what happened to him...

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

**A/N - Recently, some of the chapters pertaining to Twilight Town have been revised for better understanding. I realized what I did wrong and made some changes. Believe you me, it wasn't easy. Mainly, I only changed the roles of the characters for better understanding. I hope these changes won't complicate things, and I apologize in advance if they do.  
**

**As always, thank your for viewing, and I hope to continue entertaining you, viewers.  
**


	21. Of Lamps and Genies

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**"Thanks for your help, sir," said the grateful Sora.**

**"Hey, don't sweat, kid." The man broke off some pieces of the bread and handed them their share of the food. "After you collapsed, your friend here was pretty worried about you," the man said, indicating Kairi, "Since no one was helping, I decided to let you stay in this hut of mine. By the way, I haven't introduced myself. My name's Aladdin. This is my friend, Abu."**

* * *

**"Please, if-if you let me go, I can go to the palace and borrow some for the Sultan," the woman tried to reason out again.**

**The owner placed her wrist on his stand, drawing his sword from his waist. "Do you know the penalty for stealing?" The man raised his sword into the air, ready to make a devastating blow!**

**Kairi shut her eyes tightly and cringed into Sora's shoulder, not wanting to see what's going to happen.**

**Aladdin didn't want to see the results either, and began marching up to the fruit stand owner. Before the sword came down on the helpless woman's wrist, Aladdin caught the man's hand in the nick of time. "Oh, thank you, kindly, sir!" Aladdin exclaimed, pretending to be grateful and taking the man's sword away, "I'm so glad you found her!" Aladdin then turned to the woman behind him. "I've been looking all over for you," Aladdin scolded.**

* * *

**Suddenly, without warning, a group of men, wearing white turbans, carrying swords, surrounded the group. One of them, a large man, grabbed Aladdin by his wrist and tossed him into his men, who retrained the helpless street rat. "We just keep running into each other, don't we, street rat?" the head guardsmen mused.**

**"Let him go!" the woman demanded, stomping up to the head guardsmen.**

**"Oh, what's this? A street mouse?" the head guardsmen rudely shoved the woman to the ground, making him and the others laugh amusingly.**

* * *

**The woman forced herself back up defiantly to the guards. "Unhand him!" The woman then removed her hood, revealing herself. "By order of the Princess!"**

**The guards turned to the woman, and they were completely surprised to see who the woman truly is. The head guardsmen immediately cowered in fear, now knowing who he had just shoved. "P-princess Jasmine!" The head guardsmen and his men immediately bowed their heads before the revealed Princess, with the men forcing Aladdin to bow before her.**

**"A princess?" asked the surprised Aladdin.**

**"This is a surprise," Riku commented.**

**"What are you doing outside of the palace? And with this street rat?" asked the head guardsmen.**

**"That's none of your concern! Release him!" Jasmine ordered.**

**As much as the head guardsmen wanted to, he couldn't obey Jasmine's orders. "I would like to, Princess, but my orders come from Jafar," the head guardsmen reasoned, "You'll have to take it up with him." The head guardsmen bowed respectfully before the princess before walking away with their prisoner.**

**"Believe me, I will," Jasmine whispered to herself.**

* * *

**_Chapter 21: Of Lamps and Genies  
_**

* * *

Jasmine arrived in the palace courtyard, where she usually hung out. The courtyard had a beautiful garden, filled with beautiful flowers, plants, and a single tree. Along with the garden was a water fountain filled with lily pads and lotuses. Kairi noticeably took in the beautiful sight. Sora remember back in Destiny Islands, Kairi had a flower garden in her palace. Perhaps the castle reminded Kairi of the moment she hung out in her own flower garden.

"Please make yourselves at home, everyone. I'll be back, after I get to the bottom of this," said Jasmine, before she walked off, leaving the rest to relax in her garden.

"This is pretty nice. I could get used to this place," Riku commented, as he sat on the water fountain.

"Yes, it's very nice, Riku," said Kairi.

"Did you have something like this back at your kingdom, Princess?" asked Goofy.

"Yes, I did," Kairi replied, "My palace had a beautiful flower garden in the courtyard. I mostly go to the flower garden to smell the flowers the gardener planted. A long time ago, when I was little, I also made a flower crown for someone." Sora heard this. "But...I can't remember who I made it for..." Kairi never noticed it, but upon hearing this, Sora could only lower his head down in sadness. Hearing this only reminded Sora of his sacrifice.

Donald, Goofy, and Riku noticed how sad it was making Sora, and decided to do something about it. "Cheer up, Princess," Riku encouraged, "I'm sure when we retrieve your Fragments, you'll be able to remember who that person is."

"You think so?" asked Kairi.

"We guarantee it!" Goofy cheered, giving a thumbs-up.

When Sora saw what his friends were doing, he gave them a small smile, out of appreciation for trying to cheer them up, even knowing it may never come true. Despite their efforts, they knew full well Kairi will never remember him, no matter how much they want it.

Mog, being the curious little creature that he is, walked off to take a closer look at the flowers. "Hmm, I wonder if I can pick these for Lulu, kupo," Mog pondered curiously. As he approached to try and pick one for himself, a gigantic striped creature suddenly popped up from the garden and growled at Mog, scaring off the little moogle. Mog hurriedly ran back to his friends, hiding behind Pluto, who began barking at the creature.

This striped creature , a tiger, began stalking towards the group, growling defensively at them. Sora and his friends got their weapons ready. As the tiger stalked towards them, it immediately caught the sight of Kairi. It tilted its in curiosity and approached the Princess. Everyone noticed how curious the tiger was, but they were on the alert, in case the tiger might pull a fast one. Kairi was kind of frightened about what the tiger was going to do, until the tiger came up to her and began sniffing her, like what other animals do when they meet someone. Then, much to everyone's surprise, the tiger began cuddling up to Kairi, who was surprised about how friendly the tiger turned out to be. The Princess then crouched to the ground started petting the tiger, which in turn, began licking Kairi, out of appreciation, making the Princess giggle. "It's okay, everyone," Kairi announced to everyone.

"He won't eat Mog?" asked Mog.

"Don't worry, Mog. He won't bite," assured Kairi.

Mog then hopped up on top of the tiger's head and waved down on him. "Hello, Mr. Tiger," Mog greeted friendly, "My name is Mog, kupo!"

This amazed everyone. Kairi seemed to be able to make friends with even ferocious animals like this tiger.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the palace, Jafar emerged from his secret chambers, looking around to see if the coast was clear. The vizier slowly closed the door to his secret chambers, so as to not make any noise. Unfortunately, he spent too much time trying to sneak away, as Jasmine came storming in, obviously not happy with what the head guardsmen had reported to her.

"Jafar!" Jasmine called out, surprising Jafar.

Jafar immediately slammed his door shut, with Iago accidentally pinned inside the door frame. "Ah, princess," Jafar greeted, "How may I serve you?" Jafar spread his cape out to block off the door from Jasmine.

"By your orders, the guards took a boy away," informed the upset Jasmine.

"But your father had put me in charge of keeping the peace in Agrabah," Jafar reasoned, "The boy was a criminal."

"And just what was his crime?" Jasmine sounded almost demanding.

"Jafar!" Iago whispered in pain, tugging on his master's cape.

"Why, kidnapping the princess, of course," Jafar answered.

"Jafar, if you could just--" Jafar then shut Iago up by slamming his foot up against the door, freeing Iago on the other side forcefully. "OW, THAT HURT!" Iago yelled on the other side.

"He didn't kidnap me, I ran away!" Jasmine exclaimed.

"Oh, dear..." said the surprised Jafar, "How unfortunate... If only I had known..."

"What do you mean?" Jasmine questioned.

"Sadly, my dear, the boy's sentence has already been carried out," informed Jafar.

"What is his sentence?" Jasmine asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

Unfortunately, her fears came true. "Death..." Jafar said bluntly, "...by beheading." Jasmine gasped in shock upon hearing the news. "I am terribly sorry, princess," Jafar said, placing comforting hands on her shoulders.

"How could you!?" said the upset Jasmine. The princess stormed out of the room, leaving Jafar to watch her run away.

Iago had finally emerged from the secret chamber, albeit with some difficulties coming in. The loud parrot then flew onto Jafar's shoulder. "How did she take it?" asked Iago.

"I think she took it rather well..." replied Jafar, smiling a sinister smile.

* * *

Jasmine walked into her garden sadly. As she walked in, she noticed Rajah was resting his head on Kairi's lap, while everyone else was just hanging around. Sora sat next to Kairi, with Riku relaxing by the water fountain. Donald, Goofy, and Pluto went to go check out the flowers, and Mog sat peacefully on Rajah's head.

"I see you've met Rajah," Jasmine said, as she came into her garden.

"Mr. Tiger almost ate Mog, but we became fast friends, kupo!" Mog announced happily.

"...That's...nice..." Jasmine smiled sadly.

Sora and his friends noticed her sadness. It was obvious to tell, considering the tone in her voice. "Is something wrong, Princess Jasmine?"

"Jafar told me what's going to happen to that man," Jasmine informed, "They're going to execute him." Sora and his friends were shocked by the news. Jasmine broke down by her water fountain. She never intended for any of this to happen. She just made a new friend, only to watch his life be taken away. Kairi approached the weeping princess and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's all my fault," Jasmine sobbed, "I never knew his name."

"Princess Jasmine!"

Jasmine turned around and saw Jafar coming in with his pet parrot. "What do you want, Jafar?" asked the sad and angry princess.

"I've made a decision," Jafar informed.

"What? Another form of execution?" said the sarcastic Jasmine.

"Actually, I thought there might be a chance for him to avoid execution," said Jafar.

Jasmine turned her head to Jafar. "What do you mean?" asked the anxious Jasmine.

"I've decided to give him a chance to redeem himself," answered Jafar, "If he accomplishes a task I have given to him, he will be pardoned for his actions."

Jasmine seemed to brighten up upon hearing some good news. "What does he have to do?"

"There is a mysterious cavern that I've heard rumors of in the desert. He must enter the cave and retrieve an object of interest. If he does just that, I will release him, free of charges," Jafar explained.

Sora stood up from his spot. "If Aladdin is going to the cave, can I come, too?"

"Sora?" Kairi was surprised about what Sora asked.

"Do you know of the street rat, young man?" asked Jafar.

"He's a friend of ours, and I'd like to help him," Sora offered.

Jafar turned around to ponder for a while, whether he should let Sora venture into the cave with Aladdin.

"What do you have in mind, Sora?" Donald asked as he approached Sora from behind.

"I don't know what this cave is, but I have to investigate it," replied Sora.

"Do you think the Princess's Heart Fragment might be in there?" asked Goofy.

"I don't know, but I need to check the place out. Mog did mention that there was a Heart Fragment in this world," Sora recalled.

"Well, if that's the case, we'll help you," Riku offered, "We can't let you go in those caverns alone, right?"

Jafar turned around to meet the group. "Very well, boy. You may accompany the young man and aid him in his mission. But be warned, should you fail, you will also suffer the consequences, since you are in contact with him," Jafar warned.

"I understand," said Sora.

"Meet me at the gate when you are ready." Jafar turned around and walked out of the garden.

"Sora..." Kairi now grew concerned for Sora. Should the Keyblade master fail, he might suffer the death penalty along with Aladdin. Kairi, of course, didn't want that to happen, but she knew that Sora had to take those chances.

"Don't worry, Princess," Sora assured, "I'll come back. You have my word."

Although Kairi was still concerned for Sora's safety, she reluctantly nodded in agreement. Sora and his friends couldn't afford to fail this one. Especially with their lives on the line.

"Pluto, we need you to stay with the Princess," Donald requested, earning a barking agreement.

* * *

Sora and the boys, with Mog accompanying them, walked around the streets of Agrabah, looking for the main gate that exits the city. As they finally found the main gate of Agrabah, they found their familiar friend waiting for them.

"Hey, guys!" Aladdin waved at his friends, along with Abu.

"It's good to see that you're okay, Aladdin," said the relieved Sora.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Aladdin.

"We volunteered to help you at whatever you're going to do," replied Riku.

"But why? You didn't get in trouble with me," said Aladdin.

"There's something that we're looking for. It might be down at those caves Jafar mentioned," explained Goofy.

"We can't tell for sure, but we have to take a look for ourselves," said Sora.

"I see," replied Sora, "Well, I'll do what I can to help you guys, too."

"We appreciate it," said the grateful Sora.

Sora and his party entered through the main gate, where they found Jafar waiting on his camel, looking off into the desert. "Ah, you've made it," said Jafar.

"Will I really be free if I do this task?" asked Aladdin.

"Of course, young man," replied Jafar, "I'll personally make sure you don't go back to prison again, if you complete this task."

Jafar led the group out into the desert. Being an important official, it was natural for a man in Jafar's position to ride his camel, while the others had to walk.

* * *

Night fell in the desert. Sora and his friends stopped at a clearing in a desert, surrounded by tall, giant rocks. Jafar took out a mysterious gold object, which seemed to resemble a scarab beetle. Combining the pieces, the beetle took flight and merged itself into a clump of sand on the ground. Then, startling everyone, the ground began to rumble. Mog tucked himself in Goofy's shirt for safety. Then, from the ground, a gigantic head of a tiger emerged from the ground.

"Who disturbs my slumber?" growled the tiger.

Jafar nodded to Aladdin, signaling him to answer to the tiger. "It is I, Aladdin," replied Aladdin.

"Proceed. Touch nothing, but the lamp," the tiger warned.

"Go on, boy," Jafar ordered, "Fetch me the lamp, and you shall have your reward."

Aladdin was a bit frightened to enter, but he knew this was his only chance to get himself amnesty. "Come on, guys."

Aladdin led Sora and the others into the Cave of Wonders to look for this lamp that Jafar had mentioned.

* * *

As they entered the Cave of Wonders, the group were immediately astonished to see what was inside the cave of wonders. It was a chamber of gold! Jewels, coins, ancient treasure, you name it. It was literally 'Treasure Island' in a cave.

"Would you look at that?" said the astonished Aladdin.

"I bet having all this would make anyone richer than the sultan," commented Riku.

Abu, having seen all the treasures around them, immediately tried to bolt for the treasures, despite the tiger's warnings. Aladdin immediately caught Abu by his tail. "Abu!" Aladdin scolded, "Don't...touch...anything. We have to find that lamp."

"How about it, Mog? Can you feel the Fragment's presence here?" asked Sora.

"Give me a second, kupo." Mog concentrated hard on locating the whereabouts of Kairi's Heart Fragment. "The energy level is a little stronger than the last time, but it's definitely here in this world," Mog informed.

"Then we must be getting close," said Goofy.

"Maybe that lamp might have the Heart Fragment," Donald hypothesized.

"Well, there's only one way to find out. We'd better go look for that lamp, too," said Sora.

As the group walked around the Cave of Wonders, they saw something moving from behind the hill of coins. The group cautiously walked towards this mysterious presence, until they were completely surprised on what they saw.

"The carpet is moving all by itself, kupo!" Mog exclaimed.

"I don't believe it! A magic carpet!" Aladdin was completely astonished to see one of the most legendary objects before his very eyes. Aladdin then motioned for the carpet to come towards them. "Come on. Come on. We're not going to hurt you. Maybe you can help us." The magic carpet looks back at the group and looked excited. The carpet then flies around the group happily before landing before them. "You see, we're looking for this lamp. Do you know where it is?"

The carpet then motions for the group to follow after it.

* * *

The magic carpet led the group down a long cave, until they emerged in a giant underground cavern. In this cavern, in the center of it, there was a pillar, surrounded by water and stones. At the top of the pillar was the item that Aladdin was told to search. "Wait here, everyone." Aladdin climbed the pillar quickly to the top and was captivated by the beautiful lamp. "What is it about this lamp that Jafar wants?" Aladdin asked to himself as he picked up the lamp. Turning around, he noticed Abu captivated by a jewel being held by a golden monkey statue. Abu, unfortunately having a taste for treasure, immediately ran for the jewel. "ABU! NO!!"

But his words fell on deaf ears. Abu immediately grabbed the jewel, which for some odd reason caused the entire cavern to rumble like an earthquake.

**Infidels! You have touched the forbidden treasure!**

Abu innocently tried to place the jewel back, hoping to calm the tiger down, only to watch it melt like lava.

**Now, you will never see the light of day again!**

As if on cue, the group was immediately surrounded by enemies they had not expected, the Heartless! Sora and his friends immediately drew their respective weapons and began to fight off against the fiends of darkness. Sora's training with magic seemed to have paid off. Combining his magic with his swordsmanship skills have doubled his strength. After vanquishing the Heartless, the Cave of Wonders showed that it was about to collapse.

"Let's get out of here!" Donald yelled to the group.

Not hesitating for a moment, the group immediately bolted for the exit before the entire cave collapsed on them.

After dodging numerous obstacles and fallen objects, thanks to the cave collapsing, the group finally made it to the exit, where Jafar was waiting for them. Before they made it to the exit, the ground under them collapsed, leaving them hanging by the ledge of the exit.

"Hand me the lamp!" Jafar yelled, extending his hand as the cave was collapsing.

"Help me up!" Aladdin exclaimed.

"First, hand me the lamp!" Jafar ordered, to which Aladdin finally gave Jafar the lamp. Taking the lamp excitedly, Jafar began to laugh in triump. "At last! It's mine!!"

"What about us?" asked the struggling Aladdin.

"Oh, you're free, Aladdin," said Jafar, "You're free to roam in that cave for all eternity!"

Jafar turned to leave the group behind to be buried in the sands. However, Mog hopped up on top of Sora's head and began to suck in so much air, like a vacuum. Much to Jafar's surprise, the lamp in his hand was immediately taken away and landing in Aladdin's hand. "This is one of Mog's 108 secret techniques: super vacuum!"

"Good going, Mog!" Goofy praised.

As Aladdin gripped the lamp, his thumb unknowingly rubbed against it, which began to rumble as the cave continued to collapse. The lamp began to burst out colorful lights before, suddenly, a blue being emerged from the lamp, yelling triumphantly. "Oy! Ten thousands years in the lamp can sure put a strain in your neck!" the blue being exclaimed, cracking his neck.

"You know, at times like this, I wish we were in Agrabah right now," Aladdin said as he was about to lose his grip.

"Wish No. 1, coming right up!" the blue being announced. With a flick of his finger, Sora and his friends disappear in the nick of time, before the cave finally collapsed.

Jafar, having seen the whole thing, was completely furious about what had transpired. "That cursed street rat! I'll make him pay!!" Jafar yelled furiously.

* * *

Sora and his friends suddenly arrived at the gates of Agrabah, where they appeared in the air and finally collapsed to the ground. Mog merely landed on Donald's back as he fell from the sky.

"And I thought Mog's way of getting us here was worst," Donald mumbled in annoyance.

"Mog lands everyone in different worlds gently, kupo!" Mog said happily.

"How did we get here?" asked the confused Sora.

The blue being then appeared out of nowhere in front of everyone. "Ah, that would be me, kid! Howyoudoing? MynameisGenie,pleasuretomeetyou!" Genie said rapidly, "And you, sir!" Genie pointed at Aladdin, as if he were in trouble, "I gotta thank you for getting me out of that place. So, what are your wishes?"

"Wishes?" asked Aladdin.

"It's part of my gig," said Genie, "You get me out, I give you your wishes, the rest is silence. Although, you have only three wishes. Actually, wait." Genie then counted his fingers to see how many wishes. "Actually, make that two!"

"Two? Why two?" asked Aladdin.

"You used up a wish, remember?" Genie reminded. Genie then transformed himself into Aladdin and even got his voice perfect. "You know, at times like this, I wish we were in Agrabah right now."

"Wait a minute, I didn't make that wish," Aladdin tried to argue.

Genie then appeared behind him as a shopping clerk, typing some numbers in a cash register. "Sorry, sir, wishes are non-refundable." Genie then appeared in front of him again. "Sorry, kid, you wished it, I dished it." Genie showed a score board which was labeled 'Wish vs Non-wish,' to which Wish had one point up. Genie then transformed himself into a merchant, "So, what'll it be, young man?"

Aladdin thought about the wishes for a moment, but then he realized what must be done. "Do you think you can put this on hold for a second? I gotta warn Jasmine about Jafar," Aladdin explained to Genie.

"No wishes!?" the Genie exclaimed in shock. Sighing in defeat, Genie obliged with Aladdin's request. "All right, kid. I'll put this whole thing on hold." Genie then transformed himself into a right-hand man of a mob boss, "But get one thing straight, kid. You don't make a wish, I'll find you, capice?" Genie then vanished into the lamp, until he is needed again.

"That was weird," Goofy commented.

"I heard that!" Genie exclaimed, making Goofy cover his mouth in surprise.

"Jafar might be coming back any minute," said Aladdin, "We gotta warn the sultan and Jasmine."

Sora nodded to Aladdin and immediately they all ran for the palace to warn everyone about Jafar's treacherous nature. Sora's search for Kairi's Heart Fragment was put on hold for now.

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

**A/N - Sorry if I can't do Genie perfectly. I don't know how to portray his character perfectly in this one, so I did my best.**


	22. The Three Wishes

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**"I've made a decision," Jafar informed.**

**"What? Another form of execution?" said the sarcastic Jasmine.**

**"Actually, I thought there might be a chance for him to avoid execution," said Jafar.**

**Jasmine turned her head to Jafar. "What do you mean?" asked the anxious Jasmine.**

**"I've decided to give him a chance to redeem himself," answered Jafar, "If he accomplishes a task I have given to him, he will be pardoned for his actions."**

**Jasmine seemed to brighten up upon hearing some good news. "What does he have to do?"**

**"There is a mysterious cavern that I've heard rumors of in the desert. He must enter the cave and retrieve an object of interest. If he does just that, I will release him, free of charges," Jafar explained.**

* * *

**"Who disturbs my slumber?" growled the tiger.**

**Jafar nodded to Aladdin, signaling him to answer to the tiger. "It is I, Aladdin," replied Aladdin.**

**"Proceed. Touch nothing, but the lamp," the tiger warned.**

* * *

**"Hand me the lamp!" Jafar yelled, extending his hand as the cave was collapsing.**

**"Help me up!" Aladdin exclaimed.**

**"First, hand me the lamp!" Jafar ordered, to which Aladdin finally gave Jafar the lamp. Taking the lamp excitedly, Jafar began to laugh in triump. "At last! It's mine!!"**

**"What about us?" asked the struggling Aladdin.**

**"Oh, you're free, Aladdin," said Jafar, "You're free to roam in that cave for all eternity!"**

* * *

**As Aladdin gripped the lamp, his thumb unknowingly rubbed against it, which began to rumble as the cave continued to collapse. The lamp began to burst out colorful lights before, suddenly, a blue being emerged from the lamp, yelling triumphantly. "Oy! Ten thousands years in the lamp can sure put a strain in your neck!" the blue being exclaimed, cracking his neck.**

**"You know, at times like this, I wish we were in Agrabah right now," Aladdin said as he was about to lose his grip.**

**"Wish No. 1, coming right up!" the blue being announced. With a flick of his finger, Sora and his friends disappear in the nick of time, before the cave finally collapsed.**

**Jafar, having seen the whole thing, was completely furious about what had transpired. "That cursed street rat! I'll make him pay!!" Jafar yelled furiously.**

* * *

_**Chapter 22: The Three Wishes**_

* * *

Sora and his friends were on their way back to the palace, to warn everyone about Jafar's true colors. After meeting with Genie, they realized the only reason why Jafar would set them up. If Genie had the power to grant wishes, Jafar could wish for anything he ever wanted.

As Sora and his friends dashed back to the palace, they stopped in their tracks and quickly hid behind a wall. The reason being was because they noticed some of the guards guarding the front gate of the palace. Aladdin was still "unclean" to the guards.

"It's going to be difficult to get in from the front, don't you think?" said Riku.

"Mog has an idea, kupo!" Mog announced. The little moogle then quickly zipped off to the side, away from everyone's view.

"Help! That street rat stole my apples!"

The guards heard the scream of a woman and immediately drew their swords to chase down a local thief, deserting their post completely. As the guards ran off to catch the thief, Mog happily trudged into Sora and the others' views from behind a wall. "All clear, kupo!" Mog happily announced.

Sora and his friends were completely surprised by what had just happened, but they had no time to figure out what happened. Not hesitating for too long, Sora and his friends immediately ran towards the main gate.

* * *

Despite the difficult opening the closing the palace gate, Sora and the others successfully made their way through.

"I don't understand what happened back there," said the stumped Aladdin.

"Mog just sent them on a wild goose chase," Mog informed.

"How did you do that?" asked Goofy.

"Mog just used one of his 108 secret techniques: voice imitation," replied Mog, "Just like when I did Donald's voice, kupo."

"Come on, we have to warn everyone about Jafar," Sora reminded everyone.

Pushing their thoughts aside, Sora and his friends immediately ran to where Kairi and Jasmine were most likely hanging out.

* * *

Kairi and Jasmine were merely hanging out together, with Pluto and Raja keeping watch of things. Fortunately for the princesses, Pluto and Raja had no problems with each other. They both had something in common. Both of them were dedicated to their respective princesses. Their peace and quiet was suddenly interrupted by the presence of Sora and his friends.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine exclaimed in surprise.

"Sora!" Kairi was just as surprised as Jasmine, upon see the boys rush in.

"Glad we made it," Aladdin panted in relief.

"What's going on?" asked Jasmine.

"Jasmine, where's your dad? We've got to warn him!" Aladdin informed.

"Did something happen?" asked Kairi.

"We were set up," replied Donald.

"Apparently, Jafar considered us expendable," Riku added.

Aladdin took out the lamp, showing Jasmine and Kairi. "He wanted this."

As Jasmine and Kairi stared at the lamp, they couldn't understand what Jafar wanted from a regular old lamp. "What does Jafar want from this?" asked Jasmine, as she rubbed her finger on the lamp.

Suddenly, upon the unintentional rubbing, Genie once again made his appearance, before the group, roaring in triumph like before. "Geez Louise, who woke me up? I was just enjoying a nice long nap!" Genie complained. Genie then took a look at Jasmine and Kairi. Upon seeing them, Genie's eyes formed into hearts, before he suddenly reappeared beside them, wearing a suit and have his hair gelled back. "How ya doin' ladies? What do ya say we go out for some dinner, just you two and me, eh? Anything you want, Big Daddy's got ya covered," Genie flirted with the two princesses.

"This is Genie," Riku introduced, "We met him when Aladdin accidentally rubbed the lamp, just like what you did, Jasmine."

"Ladies, I can grant you any wish you want!" Genie proclaimed. Then, Genie formed himself into a cashier, with a cash register ready. "Free of charge, too," Genie added, pushing a button which said "no sale." "However, there are a few exceptions."

"Like what?" asked Kairi.

Genie appeared next to Aladdin preparing to demonstrate some of the rules. "Rule No. 1: I can't kill anyone," Genie informed, before cutting his own head off with his finger, "So don't ask." Genie then placed his own head back on, which formed a pair of big red lips, "Rule No. 2: I can't make anyone fall in love," he said, before kissing Aladdin on the cheek, "Rule No. 3..." Genie laid himself on the ground, before rising up, shifting to a rotting green color, looking zombified, "I can't bring people back from the dead," Genie informed in his grotesque form, making everyone sick to their stomachs, "I don't like doing that!" Genie sternly warned, shaking Aladdin around by his shoulders, "Other than that, anything!"

"Hmm...what would Mog wish for, kupo?" Mog pondered.

"So many wishes I could think of," commented Donald, "Genie, if you were going to make a wish, what would you wish for?"

Genie was taken back by Donald's question. "...N-no one has ever asked me that question before," Genie said in a mellow tone, "Well, there is one thing I've always wanted."

"And what's that?" asked Sora.

"Freedom," answered Genie.

"You're a prisoner?" asked the puzzled Aladdin.

"It's part of the whole genie gig," explained Genie, "Cosmic mystical powers--" Genie then shrunk himself to give himself a tight fit in his lamp as a demonstration, "--itty, bitty space."

"How terrible," said Kairi.

"Freedom was all I ever wanted," Genie continued, "But it's always, 'Poof! What do you want? Poof! What do you want? Poof! What do you want?' To be my own master is something ever more greater than all the treasures in the world! But wake up and smell the air, because that's never going to happen!"

"Why do you say that, Genie" Goofy asked.

"Because the only way for me to have freedom is if my master wishes it," answered Genie.

Aladdin took a look at the lamp. He could wish for all the riches in the world, just like Genie explained, but doing so would be the most selfish thing in his life. Sure, Aladdin was a thief, but even he had a sense of honor. "How about if I wish you free?" Aladdin offered.

Genie transformed himself into a Pinocchio character, making his nose extended from its normal size. "Yeah, sure, I've heard that before," Genie said sarcastically.

"No, really," Aladdin assured, "When I make my next wish, I'll use the last one to set you free."

"Well, I don't know, but you got a deal, buddy," Genie said, shaking his hand crazily.

"There's only one thing Jafar would want this lamp," Aladdin noted, as he looked at the lamp, "Jasmine, I have to warn your father. Do you know where he is?"

"I don't know," replied Jasmine, "I haven't seen him since two days ago. He said he had to go on a trip."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, red smoke appeared around them. Sora and his friends got their respective weapons ready. This might be a Heartless ready to make its attack on the group. They were partially right on their suspicions. Not only did the Heartless appear before them, but accompanying them was Jafar, who cackled upon his return to the palace.

"Jafar, what is the meaning of this!?" Jasmine demanded the vizier.

"I just thought the palace needed someone 'better,'" Jafar mused, "Oh, as for your father, that 'trip' he mentioned, I sent him off wandering in the desert alone...thanks to my hypnotic powers," Jafar revealed, indicating his snake staff, which made the snake's eyes glow. "Oh, don't worry, you're father still has plenty of time to live, if he hasn't drank all the water I have provided him for his slow, painless death..." Jafar chuckled evilly.

"Aladdin, take Jasmine and the Princess to a safe place!" Sora adivsed, "We'll hold them off!"

"Then, I'll make things easier for you," said Aladdin, "Genie, I wish for you to get rid of those things!"

"Um, Al, I can't kill anyone, remember?" Genie reminded.

"No, no, I meant get rid of them, take them somewhere else," said Aladdin.

"Oh, oh! I get it now!" exclaimed Genie. With a snap of the finger, the group of Heartless vanished from Jafar's side, leaving Jafar to fend for himself.

Aladdin then led Jasmine and the Princess to a safer place, so they wouldn't get in the way of the boys' fight. Following after them was Pluto, Mog, and Raja.

"Such a waste..." said Jafar. Next to Jafar, Iago slowly descended down Jafar's hand, handing him the lamp. Sora and the others were surprised. How did Jafar get the lamp that quickly?

Aladdin, the princesses, and their companions noticed this. Aladdin searched his pockets for the lamp, only to realize it really was gone.

"Sorry, Al," Genie apologized in a guilty tone.

"Genie, I wish for you to make me an all-powerful sorcerer!" Jafar declared. Genie grudgingly granted Jafar's wish. Jafar's magical powers were tripled in strength. Jafar cackled as he was now endowed with powers beyond his imagination, making him powerful enough to become a sultan. "At last, true power!" Jafar laughed, "Genie, for my second wish, I wish for you to make them suffer!"

"Genie, no! You can't!" Jasmine cried out.

"Sorry, Jassy, he's got the lamp," said the guilty Genie, "I have no choice."

"Princess, Jasmine, get back!" Sora advised the girls.

Kairi and Jasmine ran off to a safe hiding spot, with Pluto, Raja, and Mog accompanying them. Aladdin joined in as well. Although it was going to burden him, he had to stop Genie from hurting anyone through Jafar's orders.

"Crush them!" Jafar demanded. Jafar used his magic skills to get rid of Sora and his friends, while he was being aided by Genie. Genie tried to do a "blind fire" for his friends, hoping that he wouldn't have to hurt his own friends.

Jafar's magic powers could almost rival that of Donald's. Donald tried to use his magic to counter Jafar's. However, their powers only ended in a stalemate. Fortunately, thanks to Donald using his magic, it provided a distraction against Jafar. Sora combined his Keyblade skills with Riku's swordsmanship abilities, while Goofy provided the necessary anti-air attacks. Despite the combined might of Genie and Jafar's magic, Sora and the others were able to repel the corrupt vizier. Jafar was shocked by their strength. He couldn't believe that their combined might was enough to repel him, even with his new powers. Jafar had only one thing left. "Genie, I wish for you to make me an all-powerful genie!" Jafar commanded. Jafar realized that a sorcerer is no powerful than a genie. Sorcerers have no power to grant magic, but genies are so powerful that they can grant any wish. Genie, not wanting to look at his own mess, covered his eyes, and with a flick of a finger, Jafar was then transformed into a gigantic red being, resembling Genie himself. Jafar once again cackled as he was not endowed with even more power, almost considering himself a god. On the ground, there was a black lamp. Jafar used his newly found powers to create an energy of lightning.

"Look out!" Sora warned everyone.

Sora and his friends jumped out of the way of Jafar's energy. The entire garden was literally destroyed by Jafar's corrupt powers. To Jafar, he could care less of Jasmine's garden. It was all about power, and nothing else.

Riku then noticed the black lamp on the ground, while Jafar cackled about how powerful he was. Riku casually walked up to the black lamp and picked it up. "Hey, Jafar!" Riku called out, grabbing Jafar's attention, "You forgot one thing about being a genie."

"And what is that, boy!?" asked Jafar, challenging him.

Riku held out the black lamp to Jafar. "You have a lamp to go back to." Much to Jafar's shock, Riku was right. Jafar's wrists were shackled to the same braces that Genie has. Jafar yelled in defeat as he was unwillingly forced into his own lamp.

Behind the group, Genie had a whole bunch of himself, dressed as cheerleaders. "You-are-gr-eat! Who do we appreciate!? You guys! You guys!" Genie cheered.

Kairi and Jasmine came out of their hiding spot, with Mog, Pluto, and Raja accompanying them. Sora was glad to see that Kairi and Jasmine were safe, as well as everyone else's well-being.

"Is it over?" asked Jasmine.

"Not yet," replied Aladdin, as he eyed the lamp in his hands. Aladdin seemed conflicted. "Genie, I know I promised to wish you free, but...there's something else. There's someone out there that Jasmine needs. ...I'm sorry, Genie," said the guilty Aladdin.

Genie was heartbroken by Aladdin's broken promise. However, Genie knew that Aladdin had to go through with it. He knew he had to get Jasmine's father back home. "I understand, Al..."

"...Genie..." This was the most hardest decision for Aladdin, "I wish for the sultan to return here."

Genie sighed in defeat. Using his magic, the sultan magically reappeared before everyone. Jasmine couldn't believe her father was right there. She couldn't contain herself and ran towards her father and threw her arms around him. "Oh, Father! I was so worried!" Jasmine exclaimed in joy.

"Wha-- How did I get here?" asked the confused sultan.

"It was Jafar, Your Highness," replied Sora.

"He was controlling you through hypnotism," Riku added in.

"And..." Aladdin was still feeling guilty about not wishing for Genie's freedom. "I used my last wish to get you back here."

"You? A mere street rat?" said the surprised sultan, "I see...very interesting..."

"Well, Al, it was nice to meet you," said the sorrowful Genie, "See you in a century."

Genie was about to depart into his lamp. Aladdin set the lamp down with regret in his heart. However, Kairi stepped up and rubbed the lamp, keeping Genie around. "Wait." Genie was surprised that he hasn't made it into his lamp yet. "I have three wishes, Genie."

"Princess..." Sora said in surprise.

"Oy, three wishes, three wishes. I'm starting to hate those words," Genie complained, "All right, whatcha want, little girl?" Genie asked, in a form of a waiter.

"There are so many people out there that need help," Kairi recalled the poor people outside of the palace. It pained her to see that they were trying to look for food through the garbage. "As much as I want to...I can't wish for my happiness alone." Kairi then turned to face Sora about her wishes. "Sora...my wishes..."

Sora nodded in approval. He knew exactly what her wishes were going to be. "I understand, Princess."

Gaining Sora's approval, Kairi composed herself for her three wishes. "Genie, I wish for the people to have a good life," Kairi calmly declared.

"A good life? Well, that's a wish I've never made since 100 years, but you got it, sista!" Genie proclaimed. Genie then rose into the air and uses magic to send sparks of magic light around Agrabah. Soon, the money began to rain down on the entire city, causing everyone to reach in and grab their own share of the money. The poor people rejoiced as their lives took a dramatic turn for the better.

"For my second wish, I wish for the palace to be restored to the way it was," said Kairi.

"Piece o' cake," Genie said, literally taking out a piece of cake, before tossing it into the air. The cake exploded into a ton of brilliant light, restoring the castle to its former beauty, before Jafar's magic caused its destruction.

"And finally..." Kairi knew that her last wish was going to cost it, but it was for the best, "Genie, I wish for your freedom."

"Kairi!" Genie was completely surprised by Kairi's last wish. The lamp floated off of Kairi's hands, before a beam of light poured out from the sprout. The beam of light reached Genie, and Genie witnessed his braces melting away. Genie couldn't believe his own eyes. At last, Genie was now a free man. "I-I-I don't believe this," Genie said with tears in his eyes.

The lamp then crumbled into pieces. As the lamp disintegrated, a beam of light rose into the air, before it stopped in mid-air. Mog's eyes went wide-eyed as the Keyhole appeared in the air. Using his Keyblade, Sora used the stream of light from the Keyblade to lock the Keyhole, and in return, a fragment of light emerged from the Keyhole and levitated into Sora's hand.

Taking the Heart Fragment in hand, Sora presented the Fragment to Kairi, which began to levitate off of his hand and towards the Princess. The Fragment merged itself into Kairi, and the Princess gasped at the sudden return of her heart and her memories. **_Sora..._ **As she received her Heart Fragment, Kairi began to recall a memory once lost to her...

* * *

_At Destiny Islands, Kairi was on the island, where she was surrounded by a beautiful garden full of flowers._

_Kairi took the time to look at the flowers and smiled as she smelled the soothing scent it gave off._

_Kairi sat peacefully in the flower garden. She seemed to be enjoying the sight as she observed the flowers, new and old._

* * *

**"This will be our little secret."**

That was the last thing Kairi heard, before she fell asleep in Sora's arms.

* * *

In a dark world, Xemnas and Larxene had watched what has transpired.

"So that was the three wishes," Xemnas noted, "We've avoided the worst case scenario, even though they retrieved a Fragment."

"Although it wasn't exactly a favorable outcome," said Larxene.

"It is only a matter of time, before his awakening," Xemnas commented, as he watched a mysterious teenager, who continues to sleep in a glass water tube.

* * *

"Jasmine, I've been thinking," said the sultan, "Perhaps I shouldn't allow you to be forced into a loveless marriage. From this point on, you shall be married to the one you love."

Jasmine was happy about her father's decision. The grateful princess happily wrapped her arms around Aladdin's arm, showing that she's chosen who she wants to marry. "You're the one I want, Aladdin," Jasmine said sweetly, making Aladdin smile.

Aladdin and Jasmine turned around and saw Genie getting his stuff ready, clothes, bathroom supplies, anything one would need for a vacation. "Where are you heading off to, Genie?" asked Aladdin.

"What does it look like, Al!?" exclaimed Genie, "I'm going on a vacation! I haven't had one since...well, never!" Genie laughed, "I'm gonna miss you two!" Genie said, as he gave Jasmine and Aladdin a tight hug. "Well, you two play nice, ya hear!" Genie's airplane suddenly appeared in the sky. "Well, that's my cue! I'll see ya around, Al! Jassy!" Genie then flew up into the airplane, before taking off into the clear blue sky. Genie's first trip as a free genie had begun.

Sora and his friends watched as the sultan, Aladdin, and Jasmine waved goodbye to their big blue friend.

"So those were your wishes," Riku commented to Kairi.

"You're too nice, Kairi," noted Goofy.

"You could have wished for your memories back," said Donald.

"That's true, but the people here need it more than me, even Genie," Kairi explained.

"That's just the way the Princess is," Sora commented proudly.

Mog happily hopped up on top of Donald's head. "I bet Donald was going to wish for his staff back from Lulu, kupo!" Mog teased.

"Shut up, you dumb plush toy!" Donald ordered.

"Oh, so you were going to wish that," Riku laughed.

"You, too, Riku!" Donald demanded.

Kairi made a noble sacrifice. Even though, she could have wished for her memories to return to her, she instead made a selfless wish for the people and Genie, and Sora couldn't be any more proud of her. "Time to go, Princess," said Sora.

"Yes!" Kairi exclaimed, smiling with no regrets.

Mog began to glow in a brilliant light. "Mog Moogle is to go! Kupo!!" Mog howled. Mog then sprouted his wings of light, emitting a magic light around the party. The light energy began to slowly engulf the party until they disappeared.

* * *

Sora and his friends traveled through a dimensional space, flying towards their unknown destination with Mog guiding them.

The journey continues. And with no regrets.

* * *

Back at Destiny Islands, the flowers next to the caverns have withered away. The entire flower garden had lost its beauty from the lack of care.

_**Those flowers...I wonder who planted them there...**_

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	23. Happy Halloween

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

Sora and his friends continued their journey in a dimensional space, to another world, where Kairi's Heart Fragment might be located.

After traveling through the dimensional space, Sora and his friends made their stop and dropped down to another world. The landing wasn't rough. Sora was on his knees next to Kairi, who was sitting on the ground as they landed. Donald, Goofy, and Riku were also on their knees as soon as everyone landed. "Here we are, kupo!" Mog announced to everyone.

Sora and the others looked around. This world was very strange. Everything was dark, and haunted looking. Trees were shaped into grotesque forms and gates showed a haunted theme. From the looks of it, the party found themselves in some kind of graveyard. "Where are we?"

"Um, Sora..." Kairi spoke up.

"What is it, Princess?" Sora asked. Much to Sora's shock, when he turned around to see Kairi, he found everyone wearing something different.

Donald and Goofy yelled in surprise as they pointed at each other's new clothes. "Donald, you look scary!" Goofy exclaimed.

"You, too!" Donald exclaimed back. Donald's new clothes were just bandages around his body. The most weirdest thing about his new clothes were that his stomach was completely invisible. Goofy's new clothes resembled that of a Frankenstein-like creature, with one big bolt at the top of his head.

Pluto took a good look at himself and yelped in great surprise. His entire body was just a skeleton. The only way anyone could tell it's Pluto would his green collar. Mog on the other hand only had a simple black mask. No changes were made to the little moogle. "Hey, Mog can see right through you, Pluto," Mog said happily.

"I wonder when we got these clothes," Riku wondered as he took a look at his costume. Riku's costume had a resemblance to a grim reaper. Riku's face still had its skin, but his hands seemed to have none, but his own bones.

"Princess...your clothes..." Sora said in surprise. Kairi's clothes were that of a witch, complete with a witches hat and a short skirt. Her new clothes gave no scary appearance, but cute in a dark way.

"Even you, Sora," the astonished Kairi pointed out.

Sora looked at himself. He found himself in vampire themed clothes. There was a small pumpkin patch on his head, which covered his right eye, most likely supposed to resembled an eye patch, as well as fangs coming from his mouth. The eye patch didn't get in Sora's way. Considering it was covering his right eye, it wasn't like he was going to do anything with an already blind eye. His skin was as pale as a vampire's. "What kind of world is this?" asked the bewildered Sora.

* * *

_**Chapter 22: Happy Halloween**_

* * *

With the help of Mog, the party summoned the presence of Lulu, who was still residing in her own respective world. As a viewing window opened, thanks to Mog, the party found Lulu quietly sipping a cup of tea.

"Yay! Lulu!" Mog cheered happily.

"Ah, it's good to see you again, Mog," Lulu greeted, "How have you been?"

"It's going great, kupo!" Mog informed, "We've just made it to another world. This world looks very, very spooky. We even got ourselves some weird clothes, kupo!"

"Weird clothes?" asked Lulu.

"That's something we wanted to ask you," Sora spoke up, "Why is it that our clothes transformed into this? None of us changed before we got here."

"Hmm...it must be the natural order of the world," Lulu theorized.

"The natural order?" asked the intrigued Goofy.

"In certain worlds, the natural law will force you to undergo certain transformations so that it can maintain its own natural environment," Lulu explained.

"So in other words, we got these costumes so that we blend in to the environment, right?" Riku asked.

"That's correct," stated Lulu.

"That's all we wanted to know, kupo!" Mog declared, "Sorry to bother you, Lulu."

"It's no bother, Mog," Lulu assured, "By the way..." Lulu then turned her head towards Kairi. The sorceress remembered that she hadn't properly introduced herself to the Princess, considering that Kairi was sleeping at the beginning. "It's nice to meet you, Princess Kairi."

"Um, it's nice to meet you, too, Miss Lulu," Kairi said shyly, "Sora and everyone told me all about you, how you're the sorceress that helped us travel to different worlds."

"Is that so?" said Lulu, "Did you enjoy the chocolate cake I sent you?"

"We sure did!" Goofy exclaimed, "It was really sweet! I couldn't get enough of it!"

"I agree," said Kairi, "I was hoping I'd get a chance to make one like that."

"Perhaps I can teach you how to make one, one day," Lulu offered.

"Yes, I look forward to it, Miss Lulu!" exclaimed the excited Kairi, making Lulu smile.

Lulu rose up from her table. "I'm going to go out for a while, so until we meet again," Lulu bid farewell. Before Lulu walked away from the viewing window, she came back. "Oh, I almost forgot. That letter I sent you is still in effect," Lulu reminded, "Don't forget." Then Lulu stepped outside and Mog shut off the viewing window.

"The letter?" Riku asked, "Oh, wait! I remember now! It was that letter you read back at Agrabah, Mog."

"Yup, she's still looking forward to White Day, kupo!" Mog said happily.

"I'm still not going to give her anything!" Donald proclaimed. Apparently, Donald was still angry about the sacrifice he made to Lulu, prior to traveling with Sora and the others.

Sora and the others then noticed a sign, which stood out at the end of the graveyard. Sora and his friends got up off the ground and walked towards the sign, which read: Welcome to Halloween Town!

"Halloween Town?" pondered Sora.

"Maybe we should check out what's going on," Donald advised, but hinting caution to his friends.

Sora led his friends to where the sign was pointing. Nothing happened so far, but they were on high alert. Considering it was a dark world, the possibility of Heartless appearing is very high.

* * *

Sora and his friends arrived in the middle of a plaza. It seemed to be a central part of the town. Around the place, they found numerous haunting themed items. As they looked around for any sign of life, they heard the sound of jingling. They looked around, trying to find where the source of the jingling was coming from. They didn't notice until a minute after that the jingling was actually coming from the sky. Above them, they saw someone flying a carriage, with a few skeletal four-legged creatures that seemed to resemble deers. A mysterious skeletal person then stepped out of the carriage and noticed Sora and the others.

"Happy Halloween, boys and girl!" the skeletal man greeted.

"Happy...Halloween?" asked the puzzled Sora.

"Well, maybe I should say Happy Christmas instead," the skeletal man said, "Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King!" Jack introduced, doing a gentleman's bow to the group, "Who are you guys?"

"My name is Sora," Sora replied, "This is Donald, Goofy, Riku, Pluto, Mog, and Princess Kairi."

"What kind of place is this?" Riku asked Jack.

"You don't know? This is Halloween Town! The most scariest place of all time! Where ghouls and goblins can roam free and scare the wits out of the unexpected!" Jack proclaimed, "How can you not know that? Aren't you from around here?"

"Well, we're...uh...from a far country," Sora stated, "We're just on a visit."

"Ah, I see," said Jack, "Well, as the Pumpkin King, I bid you welcome to Halloween Town!"

"What's going on around here?" Donald asked as he looked around. He found numerous items that are being stored in boxes with wrappings, light decorations, as well as the carriage with skeletal deers.

"Oh, that," Jack noticed what Donald was indicating, "Well, Halloween was just getting a little boring, so I thought I'd try something new for a change. This time, we're going to try Christmas!" Jack declared, "Though, I need to get Sandy Claws's permission first."

"'Sandy Claws?'" Kairi pondered.

"Maybe he meant Santa Claus," Goofy hypothesized to Kairi.

"Well, off to the lab!" Jack Skellington announced, "Sorry, kids, but I'm kind of in a tight schedule, so...talk to ya later!" Jack Skellington walked off to his personal lab, in preparations for his new gig on Halloween.

"Mog, can you sense the Princess's Heart Fragment here?" asked Sora.

"I'll check, kupo," said Mog. Mog then hopped up on top of Sora's head and began to concentrate hard for any energy signature of Kairi's Heart Fragment. "It's here, kupo!" Mog announced, "The signature is a little strong, but it's really here, kupo!"

"I wonder where we should look," Sora wondered.

"Why don't we check out what Jack Skellington is up to?" asked Donald, "If possible, we might meet Santa Claus, too!" From the looks of it, Donald looked really excited about the whole Santa Claus business.

* * *

Deep in a dark basement, in a lab, Jack Skellington read a large book, which most likely contained the contents of his whole "Christmas/Halloween Plan." Within the lab, there was a bald man, confined in a wheelchair, Dr. Finklestein. Another person around the lab was a girl, named Sally. Sally's body was not exactly grotesque. She looked more like a living rag doll, judging from the stitchings around her body. Sally was quietly tending to a red costume, carefully knitting the threats and sewing the pieces together.

Sora and his friends entered the lab, and they gave off weird looks when their eyes met Dr. Finklestein's and Sally's. Jack turned around and saw Sora's and his friends enter the lab. "Ah, my friends, you're just in time!" Jack Skellington announced upon their presence.

"In time for what?" Kairi asked.

"Why, to help with the preparations for Christmas, of course!" replied Jack Skellington, "You see, I'm planning on visiting Sandy Claws soon. And I could sure use some extra hands. So how about it, boys and girl? Would you like to be my 'little helpers?'" Jack Skellington offered.

"Gladly!" Donald exclaimed happily, much to the surprise of his friends.

"Excellent! I'm glad I can count on you guys!" Jack Skellington said happily.

Sally then walked up to Jack, holding some kind of clothing in her arms. "Um, Jack, I'm finished..." Sally said with reluctance in her voice, presenting the red clothing to Jack.

"Great! Thanks, Sally!" exclaimed the grateful Jack. Jack took the clothing in hand and began to try it on. Upon completion, the Pumpkin King showed his new outfit, a Santa Claus costume. The costume was a perfect fit for Jack Skellington, considering that Jack was all bones. "Well, guys? What do you think?"

"Well, uh..." Sora didn't exactly know how to put it.

"It suits you perfectly," Riku mused.

"I thought so," Jack replied as he looked at his new costume.

"Jack, are you sure you want to go through with this?" asked Sally.

"Of course, Sally," answered Jack, "Why, this year, Christmas will be better than ever! Sandy Claws will be very impressed!" Jack then turned around to the entrance, "Well, now that I have my costume ready, why don't we go pay Sandy Claws a visit?" Jack offered to Sora and his group.

"Oh, boy!" Donald exclaimed happily.

Sora and his friends followed after Jack Skellington out of Dr. Finklestein's lab. As they walked out of the lab, Sally couldn't help but have worry in her heart. Sally was the only person who had doubts in her heart about Jack Skellington's Halloween/Christmas Plan.

"Finally, I can get some work done!" exclaimed the cranky Dr. Finklestein.

Little did anyone know, they were being watched by someone. Dr. Finklestein and Sally hadn't noticed three mysterious presences spying on them through a window.

"Sandy Claws?" pondered Lock.

"I wonder what Jack Skellington is up to," commented Barrel.

"Maybe we should tell Oogie about this," Shock advised to her friends.

The three mischevious, and possibly devious, children stalked away in their walking tub, off to an unknown place in Halloween Town.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora and his friends accompanied Jack Skellington into a forest zone. Considering that the world was Halloween themed, the forest had its natural spooky looks, enough to make Kairi shiver and cling onto Sora's back.

"It's so scary here," shivered Kairi.

"Don't worry, Princess," Sora assured, "Just stay close to me."

"Okay," replied Kairi.

"Donald is pretty excited to meet Santa Claus, kupo," Mog commented, while he sat on Riku's head.

"Yeah, I wonder what's gotten into him," Riku pondered.

"Donald's a big believer in Santa Claus," explained Goofy, "He's always excited about what he's going to get for Christmas."

"And I wonder what I'll get next, too!" said the excited Donald.

"Here we are, gang!" Jack Skellington announced to everyone. The party found themselves surrounded by large trees. However, these trees were different from the other trees they've seen. Although they still had their spooky nature, they bore strange symbols on their bodies. Each tree had a different symbol: a firecracker, a colorful egg, a clover, a turkey, a heart, and a green tree with color orbs around it. Jack walked up to the one with the green tree. "It's right here, fellas," Jack said as he opened the tree like a door.

Sora was the first one to look inside the tree. He couldn't see anything inside. It was pitch black all around. Before he could finish his observation, he was suddenly shoved into the tree. Sora yelped in surprise and he could be heard yelling all the way down inside the tree.

"Sora!" Kairi yelled in distress.

"What's the big idea!?" Donald demanded, getting his weapon ready.

"Fear not, my friends," Jack Skellington assured, "Your friend is perfectly fine. He should be arriving on the other side by now."

"What do you mean?" asked Kairi.

"This tree is actually a doorway to where Sandy Claws lives," explained Jack Skellington, "Go on, step right in."

"Well, I guess there's no harm done, right?" Riku asked, before he jumped right in, followed by Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Mog, and finally Kairi.

* * *

Back in Halloween Town, Lock, Shock, and Barrel met up with a mysterious person. This grotesque figure was an obese creature, resembling a ghost of some sort.

"So, you're saying Jack's off to meet this 'Sandy Claws?'" asked Oogie Boogie.

"Yeah, something about Christmas or something," replied Lock.

"Christmas, eh? Well, Oogie Boogie could care less of what this whole Christmas and Sandy Claws is!" proclaimed Oogie Boogie. Oogie Boogie then turned his back to the three children, staring out the window, pondering to himself. His pondering continued on and on, until something came to his mind. "Hmm...I just gots me an idea!" Oogie sang happily.

"Oooh, an idea..." chuckled Barrel.

"Do tell," giggled Shock.

"Okay, here's what I want you three to do..." Oogie Boogie whispered to the trio...

* * *

Sora looked around the "new" world around him. It was completely different from Halloween Town. Although it was still nighttime, it was not scary at all. Sora could see bright and colorful lights ahead of him. The bright, colorful lights were stuck on top of numerous houses. Another difference to this world was the temperature of the atmosphere. It was very cold, considering that the entire world was filled with snow.

As he continued to look around the place, he sensed an incoming presence. From the doorway he just popped out of, he saw Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Mog, and Kairi jump out in that order. Kairi nearly fell forward, had it not been for Sora to catch her. "Are you okay?" asked Sora.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you," replied Kairi.

"Wow! This world looks really cool, kupo!" Mog said happily.

"It sure does," said Goofy, "It's got a lot more color than Halloween Town."

As Sora gently helped the Princess regain her footing, Jack Skellington popped out of the doorway, landing easily. "Here we are, friends!" Jack Skellington announced, "This is where Sandy Claws lives!"

"Hey, Mog..." Sora called.

"I'm on it, kupo," replied Mog. Mog hopped up on top of Sora's head and concentrated hard, once again. The energy level just got a little strong, so we must be getting close," Mog informed.

"I'm guessing maybe Santa Claus has the Princess's Heart Fragment," Riku hypothesized.

"That might be possible," said Sora.

"Sandy Claws lives just up ahead, right where that big house is at," Jack informed to the group, pointing at the big house, far away, "Come on, let's go meet him!"

Jack Skellington led the group off to meet with Santa Claus. Donald was still excited to meet up with the man of Christmas.

* * *

Inside the big house, Santa Claus was busy checking his list, making markings and adding in names. As he worked on his list, his helpers worked tirelessly in the work shop in the next room.

Sora and his friends entered the house, where they found Santa Claus working on his list. Donald couldn't believe his own eyes. Here he was, face to face with Santa Claus himself. "Well, hello, everyone!" Santa Claus greeted, "Did you come to see if you're on my 'nice' list?" Sora and his friends walked up to Santa Claus. "What is your name, young man?"

"Sora," replied the Keyblade master.

"Let's see...Sora..." Santa Claus scanned through his list to find Sora's name. "Ah, here you are! You've been very good, Sora," Santa Claus was glad to inform, making Sora smile. "What about you, miss?"

"Um, Kairi," the Princess replied.

Santa Claus once again scanned through his list to find Kairi's name. This was no surprise to Santa Claus when he found her name. "You never cease to amaze me, Kairi," Santa Claus smiled, "You've always been a very good girl." Kairi could only smile upon hearing that she's been on the "nice" list for a very long time.

"What about us?" asked Goofy, referring to himself and Donald.

Santa Claus took a look at his list once again. After doing a quick search, he smiled to Donald and Goofy, indicating that they made it to the "nice" list. "Oh boy!" Donald exclaimed happily.

"As for you, little Mog," Santa said, as he looked at Mog, "You're certainly made the 'nice' list. As well as you, Pluto."

"Yay!" Mog yelled in celebration, with Pluto barking happily.

"How about me?" Riku asked.

Santa Claus took a look at his list again. "Oh dear," said Santa Claus, "It appears that you have never been on my 'nice' list, not even once."

"I see..." Riku sighed, "Oh well. It's no big deal."

Santa Claus then turned his eyes towards Jack Skellington. He was surprised not only by his presence, but also because of the costume was wore. "Jack Skellinton!?" said the surprised Santa Claus, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I actually came here for a little favor," replied Jack Skellington, "More like a holiday favor."

"If it's about Halloween, I don't think I can be of much help to you there," reasoned Santa Claus.

"Oh, no, no," said Jack Skellington, "It's not about Halloween. Actually, I would like to ask you a favor about Christmas."

"Well, if it's about Christmas, how can I help you?" asked Santa Claus.

"Well...I was wondering...could I perhaps, take over your job, just this once?" Jack asked. Sora and his friends were completely surprised by what Jack Skellington was asking for.

Hearing this completely surprised Santa Claus as well. "You? Take over my job!? Why would you want to do that!?"

"Well, you see...I, uh..." Before Jack could explain himself, all of them heard a loud crashing noise coming from the toy factory.

"What was that just now?" asked Santa Claus.

"Princess, please wait here," Sora instructed.

"Okay," replied Kairi.

"You, too, Mog and Pluto," instructed Donald, "Stay here with the Princess." Pluto gave an ear-salute to Donald, as a sign of agreement.

* * *

Sora led the boys to the toy factory to see what the commotion was all about. They hoped that there wasn't any Heartless around. That was the last thing these travelers wanted around.

Fortunately, there were no Heartless in sight. However, most of the toys, that were just created, were now destroyed. Seeing this could only make the boys disgusted at the sight. There was absolutely no excuse for destroyed toys in Christmas.

"Up there!" Donald pointed up at the top window, where the party saw a mysterious figure jump out of the window. Sora and his friends ran out to the back door, to chase down the mysterious figure.

Just who was the saboteur? Why would the saboteur ruin Christmas?

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	24. Merry Christmas

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**Sora and his friends arrived in the middle of a plaza. It seemed to be a central part of the town. Around the place, they found numerous haunting themed items. As they looked around for any sign of life, they heard the sound of jingling. They looked around, trying to find where the source of the jingling was coming from. They didn't notice until a minute after that the jingling was actually coming from the sky. Above them, they saw someone flying a carriage, with a few skeletal four-legged creatures that seemed to resemble deers. A mysterious skeletal person then stepped out of the carriage and noticed Sora and the others.**

**"Happy Halloween, boys and girl!" the skeletal man greeted.**

**"Happy...Halloween?" asked the puzzled Sora.**

**"Well, maybe I should say Happy Christmas instead," the skeletal man said, "Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King!" Jack introduced, doing a gentleman's bow to the group.**

* * *

**"What's going on around here?" Donald asked as he looked around. He found numerous items that are being stored in boxes with wrappings, light decorations, as well as the carriage with skeletal deers.**

**"Oh, that," Jack noticed what Donald was indicating, "Well, Halloween was just getting a little boring, so I thought I'd try something new for a change. This time, we're going to try Christmas!" Jack declared, "Though, I need to get Sandy Claws's permission first."**

**"'Sandy Claws?'" Kairi pondered.**

**"Maybe he meant Santa Claus," Goofy hypothesized to Kairi.**

* * *

**Back in Halloween Town, Lock, Shock, and Barrel met up with a mysterious person. This grotesque figure was an obese creature, resembling a ghost of some sort.**

**"So, you're saying Jack's off to meet this 'Sandy Claws?'" asked Oogie Boogie.**

**"Yeah, something about Christmas or something," replied Lock.**

**"Christmas, eh? Well, Oogie Boogie could care less of what this whole Christmas and Sandy Claws is!" proclaimed Oogie Boogie. Oogie Boogie then turned his back to the three children, staring out the window, pondering to himself. His pondering continued on and on, until something came to his mind. "Hmm...I just gots me an idea!" Oogie sang happily.**

**"Oooh, an idea..." chuckled Barrel.**

**"Do tell," giggled Shock.**

**"Okay, here's what I want you three to do..." Oogie Boogie whispered to the trio...**

* * *

**Sora led the boys to the toy factory to see what the commotion was all about. They hoped that there wasn't any Heartless around. That was the last thing these travelers wanted around.**

**Fortunately, there were no Heartless in sight. However, most of the toys, that were just created, were now destroyed. Seeing this could only make the boys disgusted at the sight. There was absolutely no excuse for destroyed toys in Christmas.**

**"Up there!" Donald pointed up at the top window, where the party saw a mysterious figure jump out of the window. Sora and his friends ran out to the back door, to chase down the mysterious figure.**

**Just who was the saboteur? Why would the saboteur ruin Christmas?**

* * *

_**Chapter 23: Merry Christmas**_

* * *

The boys followed the intruder outside. However, then they arrived, the intruder was already gone. Sora and his friends looked around for any sign of the mysterious saboteur. Fortunately, the only clue they found were a set of footprints on the snow ground. However, they found something strange about the footprints...

"These footprints aren't normal," noted Riku.

"You're right," said Sora, "These footprints are too close to each other. Almost like a four-legged creature."

"That couldn't be," Donald responded, "I only saw one person escape, and he only had two legs."

"Let's follow these tracks, gentlemen," Jack Skellington announced to the group, "From the looks of it, it looks like it's heading back to that doorway."

Sora and his friends ran out, following the tracks carefully. _**The could only mean it came from Halloween Town.**_

* * *

Meanwhile, in Halloween Town, Lock, Shock, and Barrel were traveling around the town, in their seemingly walking bathtub. The three mischievious children could only snicker to themselves as they continuously walked around the town.

"The plan's working!" Shock exclaimed in joy.

"Now alls we gotta do is lure those suckers right into our trap," Lock instructed his friends, chuckling evilly with Shock and Barrel.

"Those guys won't know what hit him," Barrel chuckled.

Their bathtub took a little detour, which then took the terrible trio to Halloween Town's graveyard.

* * *

The boys arrived in Halloween Town. Everything looked normal. On the ground, they found more footprints on the ground, leading into the forest.

The boys had no time to figure out what was going on. They knew they had to put a stop to whatever this thing was, before it ruined Christmas completely.

When Sora and his friends ran past the trees of Halloween Town, they found more of the tracks, leading straight to the graveyard. Sora and his friends got their respective weapons ready. Worst-case scenario, it could be a Heartless waiting to ambush the group of travelers.

Opening the gate, Sora led his friends into the graveyard. Sora and the others looked around, to find any traces of the saboteur. As if on cue, three children moved out of their hiding spots, from behind three of the tombstones.

"It's you guys!" Jack Skellington exclaimed in surprise.

"You know them?" asked Riku.

"Lock, Shock, and Barrel," Jack Skellington answered, "These three mischievious kids are always causing nothing but trouble. What are you guys doing here?"

"Oh, we just thought we'd have a little fun, Jack," Barrel declared.

"You don't mind playing with us, do you?" Lock taunted.

"Because we have a new toy to test out!" proclaimed Shock.

From out of nowhere, a dark aura appeared in the sky. When the dark aura dispersed, it revealed itself to be some kind of Heartless, taking a form of a living cage of some kind. This Heartless also took on its creepy Halloween appearance, considering the natural law of the world. The Cage Heartless hovered itself down towards the three children, opening up its cage for them. Lock, Shock, and Barrel chuckled evilly, as they entered the Heartless's cage. They were about to introduce their own meaning of "fun."

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku got their respective weapons ready for a fight against the children and their Heartless companion. The Heartless's movements resembled that of a ghost, hovering around in a wandering pace, whilst using the children to create its attacks. When the Heartless took possession of the children it swallows, it changes colors, resembling the colors that each of the children wore. For instance, if it were to swallow Lock, the Heartless would change its natural colors to red and it would begin using Lock's techniques for fighting. With the help Lock, Shock, and Barrel, the Heartless relied on mischief and unpredictability to attack Sora and his friends.

Donald tried to use its wind magic to put the hovering Heartless at a disadvantage. It seemed to work. The wind wasn't helping Heartless any better. It merely caused the Heartless to fly out of control. Goofy then used his shield to knock open the Heartless's cage, freeing its only source of fighting power. With the children out of the Heartless's cage, Sora and Riku used the tombstones to finish things off. Using the tombstones, Sora and Riku hoisted themselves up in the air. Using their respective weapons, Sora and Riku both made one quick slash across the Heartless, vanquishing the dark creature, once and for all. All that was left now was the deal with Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

"All right, you three, you have some explaining to do!" Jack Skellington scolded the three.

"Take it easy, Jack, we just wanted to have some fun," whined Shock.

"Yeah, we weren't going to hurt anyone seriously!" Barrel added in.

"Then why are you trying to ruin Christmas!?" Donald demanded.

"Ruin Christmas?" asked the confused Lock, "Who said anything about ruining Christmas? We were just told to cause enough mayhem to get you guys here!"

"To get us here?" asked Goofy, "If you just wanted to lure us here..."

That's when Sora realized it. "That means, this was all a distraction!"

"Gentlemen, quick! Sandy Claws is in danger!" Jack announced in distress.

_**Not just him, but the Princess as well.**_ Sora and his friends made a quick dash back to the doorway, leaving Lock, Shock, and Barrel to run off. The three children posed no more threat. The travelers had bigger things to worry about right now. _**Princess, please be safe...**_

* * *

Meanwhile, Santa Claus was wandering about around a forest clearing in Halloween Town. Santa Claus, apparently, advised Kairi to stay behind at his workshop, judging it to be the safest place for her right now. Santa Claus couldn't wait any longer for Jack Skellington. He had to tell him his answer about Christmas in Jack Skellington's hands.

"Excuse me," a female voice called out for Santa Claus.

"Who's there?" Santa Claus asked cautiously.

"Is that you, Sandy Claws?" asked a female voice.

Santa Claus didn't take the name offensively, but he knew it had to stop. The name just didn't sound right to him. "Yes, but please, call me Santa Claus."

The female revealed herself from the shadows of the tree. It was Sally, and something seemed to be troubling her. "Of course, Mr. Santa Claus," said Sally, "I was hoping I'd find you here. Please, listen, you must return back to Christmas Town. Something terrible will happen if you don't go back."

"Well, I am behind schedule as it is," Santa mentioned, "Very well, then. Please let Jack know that I'll be waiting for him at my house. He mentioned that he has something to tell me about Christmas."

"That's just the thing," spoke up Sally, "Please, go back home and lock your door. And if Jack knocks on your door, please don't open it."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a big white figure jumped down from his hiding spot and ran after Sally and Santa Claus. Sally and Santa Claus didn't have time to think when they saw the white figure running after them.

"It's Boogie time!!" Oogie-Boogie laughed maniacally.

* * *

At Christmas Town, Kairi helped around the house, with Mog and Pluto keeping her company. Kairi helped bake cookies for Santa's little helpers. Thanks to some cooking lessons from Riku back at Twilight Town, Kairi became a natural cook and baker.

_**Maybe I should make some for Sora, when he gets back...**_ Kairi heard the timer ring, signaling the completion of a set of cookies. Kairi placed some oven mits on and took the tray out. "Perfect!" Kairi exclaimed happily, as she saw how perfect the cookies turned out.

"You're a natural baker, kupo!" Mog cheered to the Princess. Pluto barked in agreement, as he smelled the sweet scent of the sugar cookies.

"Thank you, you two," Kairi smiled, "Would you two like some?"

"Of course, kupo!" Mog replied happily.

Kairi carefully lifted the cookies off of the hot tray with the spatula. "Be careful, it's still hot," Kairi cautioned in a motherly tone. Before Mog could get a hold of one, Pluto turned to the door and began to stand in front of Kairi in a defensive stance, growling at the door. "What is it, Pluto?" Pluto barked aggressively at the door. That could only mean one thing. Someone was coming... Kairi hid her frightened self behind Santa's big red chair, afraid of who might be coming by.

* * *

Sora and his friends arrived at their intended destination. Aside from Santa's well-being, it was only natural for Sora to be worried about Kairi's well-being. The culprit could be after Kairi and her Heart Fragments. It was possible that Saix had returned. The only way Sora would find out would be to head to where Santa was last seen.

On the ground, in the forest location, where the doorway to Christmas Town was located, they found Santa Claus's hat, lying on the ground. But not only that, but the party found a few bugs lingering around. This was an unusual sight.

"We've never seen these here, before," Riku noted, "Where did they come from?"

"That's awfully strange," Jack Skellington commented, "Does that mean Sandy Claws was kidnapped by an insect queen or something?"

"Well, whatever it is, it left behind a trail," Donald pointed out, showing the trail of bugs leading up to the doorway of Christmas Town.

"Onward, gentlemen!" Jack announced to the party, "Sandy Claws needs our help!"

The boys ran towards the doorway of Christmas Town and dove right in. Before Sora jumped into the doorway, he took the liberty to pick up Santa Claus's hat. Santa is going to need it if he is going to continue Christmas.

* * *

The party arrived in Christmas Town. Everything was still normal. However, the trail of bugs were now replaced with something else...giant footprints in the snow. They were not monstrous. They looked a little human, but then again, it wasn't.

"Whatever these footprints are, it must have been pretty big," Sora observed, as he took a closer inspection of the big footprints in the snow.

"I recognize these footprints. Oogie Boogie," said Jack Skellington.

"You know him?" asked Sora.

"He's been causing nothing but trouble in Halloween Town," explained Jack Skellington, "He's always kidnapping people, and doing all kinds of nasty things to them. I don't know what he's planning, but whatever it is, Sandy Claws isn't going to have a jolly old time."

_**And whoever this Oogie Boogie is, if Jack is right, then Kairi is in deep trouble!**_ Sora quickly ran towards Santa's workshop. He knew full well where Oogie Boogie was heading.

"Hey, Sora, wait for us!" Goofy called out as he ran after the Keyblade master, followed by Donald, Riku, and Jack Skellington.

* * *

Meanwhile, within Santa's workshop, Santa, Sally, Kairi, Mog, and Pluto were held hostage, tied helplessly on a conveyor belt, as Oogie Boogie jumped for joy over his two precious hostages.

"Well, this is perfect for my own tasty stew!" Oogie announced proudly, "We've got sugar," Oogie said, referring to Kairi, "Spice..." he said, referring to Santa, "And...my very own dice!" Oogie exclaimed happily, as he took his own pair of dice out. His moment of triumph was interrupted when he heard muffling coming from Sally, Pluto, and Mog. "Hmm, I don't remember adding any of you to my recipe! Scram, you little rag doll!" Oogie Boogie kicked Sally out of the conveyor belt, as if she were just a sack of potatoes, "You, too! I don't need bones in my Snake and Spider Stew!" Oogie Boogie kicked Pluto off of the conveyor belt. Ooogie then stepped up to Mog and began pondering to himself, as he watched Mog try to squirm his way out of his confinement. "Hmm, you can stay. Maybe you might makes things even more tastier!" cackled Ooogie Boogie.

Pluto nibbled his way out of his ropes, before helping Sally out of her ropes. "We've got to get help," Sally informed Pluto. Pluto made a quiet bark in agreement and snuck out of the workshop, promising to return for help. As much as Pluto didn't want to, he knew he was powerless against this big foe.

"Now, let the brewin' begin!" Oogie Boogie announced, before pulling the switch, which got the conveyor belt moving...

* * *

Outside of the workshop, Pluto and Sally made it out, looking for help. Luckily, they found Sora and his friends appearing from far away.

"Sora!" Sally exclaimed in relief.

Sora and his friends stopped in front of Sally and Pluto. "Where's Princess Kairi?" asked Sora, hinting distress in his voice.

"She's still in the workshop," answered Sally, "We'd better hurry! Oogie Boogie is already starting trouble!"

Sora and his friends wasted no more time. They all hurried into the workshop, with their weapons ready at the hand.

* * *

Oogie Boogie danced for joy, as he watched Santa, Kairi, and Mog being helplessly driven slowly into a shredder. The shredder was getting closer and closer to Santa, who could do nothing but try to struggle out for dear life.

"Snake and Spider Stew, here I come!" laughed Oogie Boogie. However, before he could savor the image of Santa being shredded into pieces, he looked off to the side and saw something he hadn't noticed before. He saw a female leg, sticking out from one of the machines, as if it wanted to be touched. "Oooh, what do we have here?" Oogie Boogie giggled, as he walked towards the leg.

Little did the boogeyman know, that leg was actually a detached piece of Sally. Oogie Boogie, apparently, had a lecherous side to himself. But thanks to his part of his personality, it provided Sora and his friends the necessary distraction needed. Sora took it upon himself to help Kairi up from the conveyor belt. Donald and Goofy worked together to get Santa Claus down from his confinement. Finally, Riku simply picked up Mog and released him from his captivity. Jack Skellington saw their efforts go according to plan and gave them the thumbs-up.

"Are you okay, Princess?" asked the concerned Sora.

"I'm fine. Thank you," replied Kairi.

Oogie Boogie was too busy stroking Sally's detached leg. However, the illusion couldn't last long, when Oogie unexpectedly lifted the leg up. Oogie saw where the leg ends. He then realized it was all a trick. When Oogie Boogie turned around, he saw that Kairi, Santa, and Mog had been freed from their entrapment.

"What are you chumps doing in Oogie's business!?" Oogie Boogie demanded.

"We're asking the questions here!" Donald shot back.

"What were you trying to do to Sandy Claws, Oogie? Explain yourself!" Jack ordered firmly.

"'Explain myself?' Ha! Like I'd take orders from a sack-of-bones like you!" Oogie Boogie retorted amusingly.

"Princess, please take Mog and Pluto with you, and go with Sally and Santa Claus," Sora advised to the Princess, "We'll handle him."

"Please be careful, Sora," Kairi cautioned.

"Don't worry, Princess," Riku assured, "We'll look after him, too."

"You can count on us!" exclaimed Goofy, who gave a thumbs-up to Kairi.

Kairi nodded to the boys in agreement. Taking Mog in her arms, Kairi took Mog and Pluto with her and escaped the workshop with Sally and Santa Claus.

This now only left Sora and his friends against the sadistic Oogie Boogie. "You've made me one angry sack of bugs, Jack! I'll teach you to mess with my ingredients!!" Oogie then summoned a group of Heartless to his side, which sported Halloween themed bodies.

These Halloween-themed Heartless moved like the living dead, making them unpredictable and agile. Riku's style of fighting matched their agility. Using his own natural agility, Riku managed to vanquish his own share of the Heartless, while Donald, as usual, used his magic to support the group and destroy the Heartless. Because of their unpredictability, Donald decided to fight fire with fire. Using his lightning magic, Donald caused a barrage of lightning bolts to rain down on his share of the Heartless, vanquishing them for good. Goofy used his superior accuracy to guide his shield to defeat some of the Heartless members. Jack Skellington, being the dead person that he is, used his unpredictability and his agility as a dead person to fight off against the Heartless, and use a variety of tricks to confuse the Heartless.

While his friends were keeping the Heartless busy, Sora took it upon himself to fight against Oogie Boogie, in retaliation for putting Kairi in harm's way. Oogie Boogie showed no fear towards the Keyblade master. Oogie Boogie was rather confident in his abilities against Sora. However, Sora showed no fear towards the freakish monster, brandishing his Keyblade in both of his hands.

Oogie Boogie may be a big living sack, but that didn't mean his strength was very weak. For some odd reason, his strength felt a little bit stronger than that of a human being. Sora, however, wasn't going to give up so easily. Although Oogie Boogie had managed to get a few shots on him, Sora rebounded and continued fighting off Oogie Boogie. Oogie Boogie used a variety of cheap tricks to face Sora, resorting to using his dice, which held magical powers. Depending on his rolls, Sora would end up being hit with some bad magic. But, despite being attacked with Oogie Boogie's strange magic, Sora counter-attacked with magic of his own, compliments of Donald's teachings. Sora combined his Keyblade techniques with fire magic. Each slash that Sora dealt with, caused more trouble for Oogie Boogie than he asked for. The fire that came from Sora's Keyblade managed to catch Oogie Boogie's foot on fire.

Oogie Boogie yelled in distress as he saw the fire making its way up. The monster desperately did whatever it took to make the fire stop spreading, but to no avail. Soon, Oogie Boogie resigned to his fate and yelled in agony, as the fire, at last, engulfed his entire body, showing his true form. His whole body was just a big sack of bugs. As the bugs scattered, one bug in particular--a bright bug, tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately, that bug met its ultimate end at Donald's hand, or rather, Donald's foot. Oogie Boogie was finished.

* * *

Sora and his friends went back outside of Santa's workshop, to check up on Kairi and the rest of the crew. Kairi, Sally, Mog, Pluto, and Santa Claus waited patiently for the heroes to return from their battle against Oogie Boogie.

"Hey! They're back! They're back, kupo!" Mog cheered in Kairi's arms as he pointed towards Sora and his friends.

_**Thank goodness.**_ Kairi naturally ran towards Sora, showing that she was worried about his safety, before stopping before him. "Are you okay, Sora?" asked the concerned Kairi.

"Don't worry, Princess," assured Sora, "I'm okay."

"What happened in there?" asked Santa.

"We just had to do some pest control back there," Riku mused.

"Well, at least that's the last we'll ever see of him, gentlemen," said Jack Skellington.

"We sure made a big mess back there, though," Goofy informed everyone, "Mr. Santa Claus, since we were the ones who kind of made a mess, too, we'd like to help clean up your shop."

"Well, if you feel comfortable doing this work, then I don't see why not. It's not like you won't be getting off my 'nice' list any time soon," Santa said with a smile.

"Mog will help, too, kupo!" Mog said happily, jumping into Santa's hands.

* * *

Sora and his friends, using a variety of cleaning tools, helped clean up the workshop, after the mess they and Oogie Boogie had created. Sora and Kairi helped stack some of the boxes neatly. Donald and Goofy used some brooms to help sweep up the floor. Riku, Pluto, and Mog helped mop up the floor, creating a neat sparkle of cleanliness.

Sora and his friends had finally finished up the cleaning process. Not even a speck of dirt showed up.

"Thank you, everyone," said the grateful Santa. Santa then turned to Jack Skellington, "Now, Jack..."

"Mr. Sandy Claws, with your permission--" Jack was about to make his offer, but was immediately cut off.

"Don't even think about taking over for me," Santa immediately spoke up.

Jack Skellington scratched his bony head, knowing that he was immediately caught. "I just thought you needed a break," reasoned Jack, "After all, it must be very tiring with all the preparations and the deliveries."

"Yes, I'll admit, it's very tiring, with the hard work and all," Santa sighed, "But do you know what the secret is? Seeing the children's happy faces are what makes everything worthwhile. We all have our jobs to perform, in order to help create a happy society. My job is to bring joy to these children. You, Jack, your job is to scare the children for their own enjoyment. What if someone were to take that away from you?"

Jack realized it. Santa was right. Halloween is Jack's whole life. If someone were to take that away from him, his whole life would be ruined. He was also that close to even ruining Santa's job. "You're right! You're absolutely right!" exclaimed Jack Skellington, "I'm the Pumpkin King! The Master of Terror! Sure, Halloween is getting boring, but that just means I have to come up with something new! Oh! And I have just the thing! I'd better get to work right away, while my mind is still fresh with some new ideas!" Jack Skellington was so excited to try out his new ideas for Halloween, "Let's go, Sally. I could sure use your help on my new ideas," Jack offered.

"Really?" asked the surprised Sally.

"Of course, Sally," replied Jack, "To be honest, planning Halloween isn't fun without you. Let's plan it together."

"Oh...Jack," said the overwhelmed Sally, "Yes, let's plan it together."

Jack turned to Sora and his friends. "Gentlemen, Miss Kairi, it's been a pleasure traveling with you all. Feel free to drop by!"

"Good luck with your Halloween plans, Jack," Sora bidded.

"Until we meet again, everyone!" Jack turned with Sally, holding her hand, waving goodbye to everyone. Jack then parted towards his true home, Halloween Town.

Santa waved goodbye to Jack as he continued back home. "Merry Christmas, Jack! And Happy Halloween!"

After Jack Skellington went home, Christmas Town started to having something new. Above from the nighttime skies, numerous white dots began descending towards Sora and his friends. Snow. It was a true miracle. Seeing the snow in this time of the night created a beautiful scene, which put a smile on everyone's face. Even Kairi enjoyed the scenery. One snowflake in particular descended towards Kairi. The Princess held out her hand to catch a snowflake. Then, suddenly, as soon as she caught the snowflake, a spark of light shone on her hand, creating a stream of light, which ascended into the nighttime sky.

"Oh, what is this?" asked the surprised Santa.

"The very thing Sora has been looking for, in his entire journey," informed Donald.

The stream of light then revealed the Keyhole, that Sora had been searching for. Using his Keyblade, Sora used the stream of light from the Keyblade to lock the Keyhole, and in return, a fragment of light emerged from the Keyhole and levitated into Sora's hand. They finally found Kairi's Heart Fragment, after some hard work.

Sora then approached the Princess and present the Heart Fragment to her. Her Heart Fragment levitated out of Sora's hand and towards Kairi, which merged into Kairi's body. Kairi gasped as she felt her heart and her memories quickly returning to her, making her pass out. Sora quickly caught her limp body and gently cradled her.

"We've found another Fragment," Sora quietly informed to the sleeping Princess. After giving Kairi her "gift," there was one thing that came to Sora's mind. Even if Kairi will never remember Sora say it to her again, he just had to say it, even if it is the last time... _**...Merry Christmas, Kairi.**_

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	25. Of Statues and Legends

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

_It was nighttime at Destiny Islands. The entire kingdom was enduring a rainy storm. Numerous people used a variety of cover and took shelter from the rain._

_Under the rain, a lone boy walked tirelessly, looking for shelter or for help. The boy's feet were bare, and were wrapped with bandages. Bandages were also wrapped around the boy's right hand, as well as around his head. The bandages around his head also covered his right eye. Every step the boy took, bits of blood was left behind. It seemed like the boy had been walking around for most of his life. People paid no heed to the boy's well-being. They simply ignored the boy in favor of taking shelter from the rain. The boy wasn't surprised. Numerous people have ignored him, despite showing how much pain he's been through._

_While he walked on in the streets of Destiny Islands, the boy lost his footing. The pain in his feet forced him to give in and collapse to the ground. The boy picked himself back up and turned to his right. To his right he saw a mirror. The boy saw something strange in the mirror. There was something strange about the mirror in front of him. Why does the boy in the mirror look so familiar? Had he seen this boy before?_

_**Who...are you?**_

* * *

Sora woke up and found Kairi and Mog watching over him while he slept. Sora looked around and found himself in a bedroom of some kind, lying on a futon with a blanket draped over him.

"Are you okay, Sora?" asked the concerned Kairi.

Sora rose up from the futon, holding his blind right eye, as if he were in pain. "It was an old dream I had," replied Sora.

"A nightmare?" Kairi asked.

"No," replied Sora.

Then, Kairi unexpectedly placed her hands on Sora's cheeks, looking deep into his eyes, showing how much she worries about his well-being. "But, it was still a bad dream, right?"

Sora placed his hands on hers, gently removing them from his face. "I'm okay, Princess," Sora assured, smiling to the Princess. _**Even if I have no memories before that day, I know that I'm definitely Sora.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 23: Of Statues and Legends  
**_

* * *

Sora took a good look around at his surroundings. He didn't remember arriving there, but he knew they were now in a new world. Sora and Kairi regained their old clothes, as opposed to the new ones they received at Halloween Town. From the looks of his surroundings, it looked like they were in an expensive room of some kind, due to the high quality the room displayed.

"We're in a new world, aren't we?" Sora observed. As Sora observed his surroundings, he noticed that something was off. Actually, he was missing a few people. "Where's Donald and the others?"

"It looks like Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Pluto landed at the same place as us, kupo," Mog informed, surprising Sora, "But don't worry. They're definitely in this world, too, kupo."

Sora found it strange that they all didn't land in the same place together. However, that's when he remembered what Lulu mentioned. Mog can't control where they land. Sora got up from the ground and went to the window. He was quite surprised about what he saw next. Outside, it was a city, near the ocean. It was a port town. In the middle of the whole city, he found a gigantic water orb, floating in the air. "What kind of world is this?" asked the astonished Sora.

Suddenly, behind the group, a big group of teenage girls, most likely aged 17 or 18, burst through the door, with open arms, screaming for joy as they ran towards Sora, Kairi, and Mog.

"You finally woke up!" one teenaged girl exclaimed in joy.

"You got us all worried, since you didn't wake up!" said another teenaged girl, as they hugged Sora like a teddy bear. Sora, on the other hand, couldn't help but blush furiously as he was being cuddled by two teenaged girls.

Another teenaged girl was hugging Kairi like a teddy bear, as well, causing Kairi to have a puzzled look on her face as to why they were all hugging her and her friends. "You're all so cute!" the teenaged girl exclaimed.

Mog, meanwhile, seemed to be getting most of the attention, which makes a lot of sense, due to the moogle's cute nature. Mog seemed to be enjoying the attention, as the girls picked up Mog and gave him kisses.

"Now hold it right there!" Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing, and turned to see who was calling everyone out. From the way she sounded, the young woman seemed to be the one in charge of the establishment. "We've got work to do, and you're all sitting here slacking off!" the young woman scolded, "They may be kids, but it's illegal to have any men around."

Sora didn't understand what the boss lady meant by that. Sora had never done anything to wrong her, as far as he remembered. "Oh, but Miss Linda..."

"That's Owner to you," Linda corrected sternly.

"You should overlook the issue, Owner."

A woman came into the room, accompanied by two men. Judging from the way the woman is dressed, and seeing as how she is accompanied by a couple of aides, she seemed to be a leader of some sort. "Miss Angela!"

"Those children were unconscious outside, and the girl was the one who woke up first," explained Angela, "However, the boy wouldn't wake up, and it looked like the girl was about to cry." Hearing this made Kairi blush in embarrassment. "I let the boy in, knowing full-well that this place doesn't allow men."

"Are you injured or anything?" Linda asked Sora.

"No, nothing like that," replied Sora.

"How come you were unconscious outside?" Linda questioned, crossing her arms, not understanding Sora's action.

As usual, Sora couldn't tell them the truth. None of them would understand the journey he's going through. The best he could do was tell them about half of the truth. "Well, we've been traveling..." Sora answered, only to be cut off by the teenaged girls around him and his friends.

"Then, you must've been hungry," teenaged girl #1 assumed.

"You've been traveling for a very long time," teenaged girl #2 assumed as well.

"And you're just a kid, too!" teenaged girl #3 realized.

"Owner!" the three girls said in unison, begging her to help the young Keyblade master.

Linda was completely stumped by their pleadings. Linda thought long and hard about her decision, and the strong arguments that everyone was expressing, including one coming from Angela. "They may be complete strangers, but it is completely wrong to ignore anyone who is in trouble," Linda proclaimed, "If we did just that, our troupe would have a bad reputation for years to come. I, Linda, proud leader of the Linda Troupe, and proud member of the Youth League, welcome you three into my establishment!"

The girls applauded Linda's proclamation. Sora and Kairi smiled to each other as they had just gotten the help they needed. Things were certainly looking up for Sora, Kairi, and Mog.

* * *

Elsewhere, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto found themselves in some sort of forest, little ways from a city. Riku and his party walked around the forest, looking for any signs of Sora, Kairi, and Mog, with Pluto leading the way, and trying to track down any familiar scent he might find.

"We can't seem to find Sora and the others anywhere," commented Riku, as he walked around with his friends.

"I wonder where they could be," said Goofy.

"Who knows?" answered Donald, "But we should keep our eyes open. The King might be in this world, too."

"Let's not forget, Donald, we're also here to help Sora find the Heart Fragments," Goofy advised.

As they continued to walk in the forest, Pluto immediately stopped in his tracks, making the party stop as well. Then, Pluto growled, which could only mean one thing.

"Looks like we're not alone," said Riku, drawing his sword.

About three people jumped out from the bush, armed with staffs and clubs. Donald, immediately summon three ice rocks, which immediately dropped on the assailants, knocking them out cold.

"Cool move, Donald," Riku smiled amusingly, due to the pun he mentioned.

"They're not the Heartless, though," noted Donald.

More men jumped out from their hiding places, ready to make their move. Riku and his party got their weapons ready for another fight. Before the men could make their move, they were immediately stopped by someone.

"That's enough!" Away from the entire group, a man in robes appeared from the woods. Judging from the way this man's robes were arranged, he seemed to be some kind of important figure, maybe a holy figure of some kind.

* * *

The man led Riku and the party to some kind of ancient temple, where they saw numerous people praying at numerous statues, as well as priests and priestesses standing idly by as they witnessed some of the civilians performing their own prayer. Riku and the others noticed that these people were a deeply religious group.

"I am the head priest of this temple. My name is Alex," Alex introduced, "Please forgive my men's rudeness from before."

"It's no big deal," Riku assured. Riku took a good look at his surroundings, seeing the people still praying.

"You guys sure have a nice place," noted Goofy, "Not just the building, but the air here just feels so...calming."

"This is a holy place that sanctions mostly the people who support the New Yevon," Alex explained, "People pray here for their departed loved ones. Are you all travelers, by any chance?"

"Actually, we have other friends, but we lost track of them," explained Riku.

"Then, they must be searching for you, as well," Alex encouraged, "If you'd like, you're free to stay here, until you meet up with them."

"Is that okay with you?" asked Donald.

"As members of New Yevon, it is our sworn duty to help those who are in need," Alex declared, smiling a friendly smile.

* * *

Night fell at Luca. The entire city was lit up with beautiful colors of light. In the middle of the city, where a floating water sphere stood out, there was, apparently, a big entertainment show being put on. Millions of people were there to attend and see the entertainers that night.

In the area, a group of jugglers displayed their juggling skills, juggling a variety of objects, such as colored balls, bowling pins, even flaming torches. Some of the performers showed their skills by balancing themselves on a rope. Aside for the entertainers on the ground, there were also swimmers inside the floating water globe. When the lights turned off around the stadium, the swimmers displayed their swimming techniques, using some colored lights that were wrapped around their wrists and their ankles. From the way the swimmers moved, it looked like the colors of the rainbow dancing with elegance and beauty.

From the backstage, Sora, Kairi, and Mog witnessed the splendid event going on as guests-of-honor, and were amazed with the show being put on.

"Wow!" exclaimed the joyful Kairi as she continued to watch the show.

"This Linda Troupe is actually a circus troupe," Sora noted, as he continued enjoy the show.

"A circus?" asked Kairi.

Sora remembered that Kairi wasn't exactly knowledgeable about what a circus is. He didn't blame her, though. He knew it was bound to happen, since Kairi is still searching for her memories. "They're a traveling group that performs tricks and skills."

"There was one like that back at Destiny Islands, too!" Kairi recalled. Sora smiled when Kairi remembered this part of her memory. "It wasn't as big as this, but it was still very fun!"

Although she will never remember him in it, Sora never forgot that memory with her. It was one of the most fun moments he ever had with her.

* * *

_At Destiny Islands, there was a big circus performance at the Central Town of Destiny Islands. Millions of citizens gathered around the area to see the show. Little Kairi was given free access to the front, taking Little Sora with her, considering that she is the princess._

_"Look, Sora!" Little Kairi pointed out excitedly at a performer balancing herself on a rope. "Wow! Maybe if I practice hard enough, I'll be able to do that, too!"_

_"But that's dangerous," Little Sora warned._

_"It's okay," Little Kairi reassured, "It's just going to take a lot of practice."_

_"No, no, it's the practice that's the hard part," Little Sora tried to reason out for Little Kairi's safety._

_"When I can do it, I want to show it to you, Sora," Little Kairi declared, smiling to her best friend._

* * *

That was one memory that will never leave Sora, although it saddened him a bit that Kairi will never remember Sora being with her that time.

"And it's all thanks to you, Sora, for bringing my Fragments back," said Kairi, "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me," Sora said, being modest, "By the way, Mog, can you sense a Heart Fragment anywhere?"

"Mog doesn't feel anything, kupo," Mog informed, "But Mog can't exactly say there isn't one here."

"It's still possible that there might be one or none at all," Sora hypothesized.

"And we still don't know where Riku and the others are, too," reminded Kairi.

At the performance, Angela, the head of the performers, made her appearance. Accompanied by her aides, Angela performed some kind of fire-like magic from her hands, spreading out shards of shining light all around the stadium.

Sora, Kairi, and Mog were astonished by how beautiful the shining lights were, as the shards floated towards them.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" asked Linda, as she approached Sora and Kairi from behind, "We travel around Spira and perform at different places."

"I'm sorry for the hassle I put you through," Sora apologized.

"Don't worry about it, Sora," Linda assured, "It's our way of treating our guests until the end. Every once in a year, whenever the moon is shining, we come back here, in Luca, to perform. It doesn't matter whether were performing at another city or at a local village. Either way is fun for us. But for us, Luca is a special home to us."

Sora then looked at Kairi, who was still enjoying the beautiful lights. "It's so pretty," said Kairi as she was about to catch a floating light in her hands.

"Princess, please be careful," Sora cautioned.

"Don't worry, our flames won't burn anyone, even if you touch it," Linda reassured. Kairi held a shard of flaming light in her hands, and she and Mog continued to watch the light shine beautifully on her hands. "These flames are a holy gift, given to us by an ancient spirit, named Lenne."

"An ancient spirit?" Sora pondered.

* * *

Meanwhile, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto were enjoying a peaceful meal, courtesy of Alex. Riku and the others were eating dinner in one of the temple rooms, designed to be a lodging area for weary travelers and people who have come to pray for more than a day.

"This is really good!" exclaimed Riku as he enjoyed the taste of his meal.

"You said it!" Goofy agreed.

"I'll be sure the head cook receives your compliments," said Alex. As Donald was continuing to eat his meal, he immediately looked off to something, outside of the temple. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, trouble," Donald replied, taking his wand in hand. Riku and Goofy took their weapons in hand as well and followed after the magician.

Riku and the others appeared outside, and as they noticed, a group of Heartless appeared outside of the temple, scaring the civilians away and into the temple.

Riku used his swordsmanship skills to do away with the Heartless, using his natural agility to help dodge the Heartless's attacks. Donald aided the group with his superior magic skills, using a variety of elements at his disposal. Goofy used his shield to prevent sneak attacks coming from the Heartless from a long distance. Despite the Heartless reappearing after some of their comrades are destroyed, Riku and the party easily vanquished the Heartless, much to the civilians' and Alex's relief. After the Heartless disappeared for good, Riku and the others looked up to find something strange. After the Heartless vanquished, they saw a glimpse of a person glaring at them from within the fading darkness, before disappearing from their sights.

"What was that just now?" asked the intrigued Donald.

"So, you've fought these things before," Alex noted as he walked out of the temple and up to the group, "Then, judging from your combat skills and from the way you all dress, you're not ordinary travelers, are you?"

"These Heartless always show up at this temple?" asked Riku.

"Yes," replied Alex, "Whenever the moon shines beautifully at this time of night, these...Heartless always terrorize the temple. Most of the people here have fallen victim to these dark creatures."

"Any idea what's causing all this to happen?" asked Goofy.

"We believe that it is related to a so-called dark witch that continues to watch over a group of traveling performers from the Youth League," replied Alex.

* * *

Linda led Sora, Kairi, and Mog to a secluded area at the hotel they were staying at. Linda showed them a golden statue of a young woman, with ancient scriptures on the tablet. From the way the woman was poised, the young woman appears to be some kind of songstress. Sora and his friends were captivated by the young woman's beauty.

"This is the person who is watching over everyone, who are part of the Youth League," Linda introduced the statue, "According to some historians, her name is Lenne."

Kairi couldn't help be captivated by how pretty the statue is. However, Kairi suddenly snapped out of her admiration when she saw Sora doing something strange around the statue.

"This is something!" said the captivated Sora as he observed the statue, left and right, "I bet this was crafted by a brilliant craftsman." Sora looked up and down the statue and even went behind the statue, observing more of the statue's details. "When was this thing first made? What kind writings are..."

Looked off to his side and saw Linda and Kairi looking at him strangely. _**That...was scary...**_

"Sora likes to inspect and study strange and historical objects, kupo," informed Mog.

"Sorry, I guess I got carried away," said the embarrased Sora as he scratched his head.

"But Mog doesn't blame you, Sora. This statue is really cool, kupo!" Mog said happily.

"I agree," Kairi spoke up, "This statue is very beautiful."

"Thank you," Linda responded. Then, Sora noticed Linda's face turn seroius. "But the people of New Yevon doesn't think so."

* * *

Alex had Riku and the others sit in the lodging room, in the temple, with him.

"The people of New Yevon believe that Lenne, the dark witch, is the spirit of vengeance from a 1000-year-old war," Alex explained, "And she's bringing misfortune to the people of New Yevon."

"Why New Yevon?" asked Donald.

"Because according to a well-known historian, 1000 years ago, during a war, Lenne was once a summoner for an ancient city, called Zanarkand. Zanarkand was at war with Yevon, now currently reformed as New Yevon. The Yevonites were the ones who had Lenne executed. And now, the people of New Yevon believe she is haunting the Yevonites, seeking revenge," Alex explained, "And to aide her in her revenge, she sends these Heartless fiends to torment New Yevon."

A fellow priest appeared behind Riku and the others and bowed respectfully towards Alex. "Excuse me, Father Alex, but it is time."

"I see. I'm sorry, but I have business to attend to," Alex informed as he parted from Riku and his group and out of the lodging room.

As Goofy and Donald took the time to relax, after a hard-fought battle. Pluto stretched himself and yawned, before falling asleep himself. Donald then noticed Riku in deep thought.

"Something on your mind, Riku?" asked Donald.

"Well, I was thinking about that person we saw, after we took care of the Heartless," replied Riku.

"I saw it, too," Goofy spoke up, "I didn't get a good look at that person, but maybe that person could be Lenne."

* * *

"I can't believe such a person can be a spirit of vengeance," Kairi said in a sad tone.

"I can't believe it, either," said Sora.

Linda would never believe such a thing. She still held a sad expression on her face. Her Youth League opponents have been doing nothing but defiling such a beautiful person. There was just no way that Lenne could be a spirit bent on revenge. She just couldn't...

* * *

The next morning, the circus performers were enjoying their well-deserved breakfast in the hotel they were staying at.

"Today, our performance has been canceled," Linda announced to the troupe, "We're going to have a welcome party for out guests; Sora, Kairi, and Mog." Linda then turned to a doorway, where she saw Kairi and Mog. "Well, come on out, you two." Kairi, however, looked to her left and towards Linda, alternating. Kairi was not shy about showing up, but the problem was Sora. Sora, for some odd reason, was not willing to come out. The Princess was unsure about to do to. "What are you hiding back there for?" Linda asked Sora as she walked up to the Keyblade master and then pulling him out from his hiding spot. "Come on, you silly kid!" When Sora was brought out, Sora was just beyond embarrassed. He was humiliated. The teenaged girls screamed in joy when they saw how "adorable" Sora looked. However, Sora saw nothing adorable about being dressed up as a girl. Kairi could only laugh embarrassingly for Sora. "Like we said, this place doesn't allow men," reminded Linda, "Not just the customers, but if the owner were to see a boy going in and out of the hotel, that would cause some problems. Sorry, Sora, but you're going to have to wear that disguise for a while."

Sora could only respond by twitching his eyebrows, embarrassed to the core.

Suddenly, the doors flew open as two young girls appeared distressed. "Miss Linda, there's trouble! The men from New Yevon are here!"

* * *

Outside of the hotel, the men from New Yevon, armed with clubs, showed potential hostility towards Angela, who stood up to the men.

"As of this moment, the Youth League are no longer welcome here!" a representative of New Yevon proclaimed.

"Oh my. How can you say such a thing?" Angela mused.

"Don't toy with us, woman! Those creatures attacked our temple last night!" declared the angry representative.

"You're not suggesting that it was Lenne's fault?" asked Angela.

"Who else could it be!? If you're not going to leave here at once..." the representative threatened.

"And what will you do?" Angela challenged

"We'll make you leave!" The representative tried to make his first move, raising club upwards, threatening to do harm to Angela.

Fortunately, the hit had no chance to connect. Linda appeared in front of Angela and blocked the attack, using a bo staff. "Don't you dare harm our lead performer!" threatened Linda.

"Stay out of this, little girl!" the representative commanded.

The only answer the representative got was a swift kick to the face. "Like I'm going to listen to you, you New Yevon rejects!" The representative fell to the ground, completely knocked out from the kick he received. "This is our home. It's bad enough Yevon corrupted Spira, so what makes you guys any different!?"

"You tell them, Linda! Show 'em who's boss!"

"You're just as reckless as we figured," one of the men spoke, "You're reckless, careless attitudes will be the very downfall of Spira itself, without the guidance of New Yevon."

"If Father Alex were here, he'd teach you all a lesson!" another man spoke.

For some odd reason, hearing the name Alex caused Linda to twitch. "Finish them off!" The New Yevon men charged towards the hesitating Linda. Linda had failed to react against the men, and she was left totally defenseless. Luckily, before she could get hurt, Sora jumped in, regardless of his embarrassing disguise, and knocked the men aside with his Keyblade. The women shouted in joy as Sora had saved Linda from potential harm.

"Just you wait! The Youth League shall see the error of their ways, and Lenne shall fall!" The men retreated, seeing that they were beat and outnumbered.

"Go pray at a temple!" Linda taunted to the running men.

The teenaged girls gathered around Sora, impressed by his superior combat skills. "Wow! You're so strong, Sora!"

"Thank you, Sora!"

"You were so cool, Sora!"

"Hey, Sora, do you want to try out for the circus?" offered Linda, "If you can move that quick, then maybe we have an acrobatic performance to give you."

"You have good tastes, Linda," said Angela.

"How cool! What kind performance are you going to do?"

"If you need tips, just ask me!"

"Hey, I want to teach him!"

The girls began swooning over Sora, who was not quite sure how to go about the situation. Kairi, on the other hand, could only watch as Sora was being unintentionally surrounded by the teenaged girls. Kairi then noticed Linda having a look of sadness on her face. Kairi noticed that something was wrong with Linda...

* * *

Back at the temple, Donald and Goofy oversaw the beauty of nature, until Riku and Pluto came up to them.

"Morning, guys," Riku greeted, "We should start looking for Sora and the others."

"Yeah," Donald agreed.

"What is the meaning of this!?"

"Uh-oh, sounds like trouble," commented Goofy, before he walked off to see what the commotion, followed by Riku and the rest.

The three men of New Yevon, bowed apologetically before Alex. "But, Father..."

"I don't know what you're reasons are, but I don't want you attempting to harm that circus troupe, even if they are part of the Youth League," Alex scolded sternly.

From what Riku and the others observed, the Youth League and New Yevon seemed to be having some kind of feud against each other.

"Were any of them harmed?" asked Alex.

"No, Father," answered one of the men, "As much as we hate to admit it, but we were the ones who were defeated."

"There was a kid among them with superior swordsmanship skills," one of them added in. Hearing this brought it to Riku's and the other's attention. "She's only a young girl, but she's very strong."

"For a moment there, I thought they were talking about Sora," said Riku.

"So did I," agreed Donald.

"Wait! Maybe that's because Sora is probably dressed up as a girl," Goofy hypothesized.

"Where do you get these dumb ideas from?" Donald questioned...not realizing that Goofy's hypothesis was all true.

* * *

In the afternoon, at the Luca stadium, Sora was busy practicing his potential circus skills. With his Keyblade in hand, Sora was given the task of keeping a ball in the air, without letting the ball touch the ground, not even once. Sora used his superior swordsmanship skills and his acrobatic abilities to keep the ball in the air, to keep up with it, and to prevent it from falling. After keeping the ball in the air for a required amount of time, Sora finished it off with a pose, and caught the ball easily with one hand sticking out. The girls applauded Sora's splendid performance.

"You're pretty good, Sora," complimented Linda, "We'll definitely get you in on tomorrow's performance at this rate."

"But, I've never done this in front of everyone before," Sora tried to reason out.

"Well, Kairi seems to be getting into it," observed Linda as she looked up.

Unfortunately, when Sora looked up he found Kairi balancing on a rope, while she held an umbrella in her hands, and shaking visibly, fearing that she might fall. "AH!! PRINCESS!!" Sora yelled in panic.

* * *

Later that night, everyone went off to bed, calling it a night. Luckily, there were no accidents for Kairi. Thanks to her being "the gods' favorite daughter," Kairi made her way across the rope safely, much to Sora's relief.

In Kairi's hotel room, Kairi had tucked the sleeping Mog into bed, before fixing her hair in front of a mirror.

Someone then knocked on Kairi's door. "Princess, are you awake?"

"Come in, Sora," Kairi permitted.

Sora opened the door. "I'm going to go out for a bit," Sora informed.

"Where will you be going at this time?" asked Kairi.

"I'm going to go look for Riku and the others," replied Sora.

"I'll come with you," Kairi requested.

"It's late already," Sora reasoned.

"It's okay," assured Kairi, "I'd like to help out, too."

"Okay," Sora nodded.

* * *

Sora and Kairi walked together through the sleeping streets of Luca. All was quiet. No one was awake. While they walked, Kairi informed Sora about what she noticed about Linda that morning.

"Huh? Linda?" asked Sora.

"She looked really lonely that time," commented Kairi.

"I see," responded Sora. As the two walked around the streets, they saw something up ahead. They saw a figure running through the streets. "Wasn't that...?"

"Probably those men from this morning," Kairi theorized.

Sora and Kairi then ran after the figure, wanting to know who this figure was. Sora was prepared for the worst. The last thing he wanted to encounter was a Heartless, or even Saix.

* * *

Sora and Kairi tracked the figure to a clearing in the woods. Under the moonlight, they saw a man appear from the woods. The man looked around for someone, until someone called him out...

"I'm here...Alex." Linda appeared from the woods, showing herself towards Alex. Alex could only smile as she saw Linda. Linda approached Alex until Alex held the young girl into his arms. "I've been wanting to see you again, Alex."

"Me too," replied Alex, "I've been waiting for you this whole year. Please, let me look at your face."

Linda did as requested, and Alex took the beautiful sight of Linda in. Sora and Kairi hid behind the bush as they were witnessing the whole scene.

"I came here to apologize about what happened yesterday," Alex confessed.

"It happens every year, so it doesn't matter to me," said Linda, "Our groups can never understand each other because of the beliefs we each have. But, I always ask myself about why I fell in love with you."

"It is natural for one person to love another, even if it won't turn out well for others," Alex stated, "That is how people are." Linda was just sad about the reality of Spira. Their group's conflicts are the very thing that has stopped them both from being together. Linda just wanted to be with the one she loved. Was that too much to ask? Alex and Linda held each other in an embrace. "In Spira, even when Yevon has changed its ways, becoming New Yevon, our groups will never allow us to be together."

"I know," Linda said quietly, "That's why, even if just for a moment, just don't let go of me."

It was a sad sight to see, even for Sora and Kairi. Even though the two are rightfully in love with each other, the rivalry their groups have are what's getting in the way.

* * *

Sora and Kairi left the two alone in the woods. Linda and Alex deserved their time alone.

"I feel sorry for those two," confessed Kairi.

"Me, too," responded Sora.

Kairi stopped in her tracks, with Sora walking off a little. "Sora?" Sora turned around, after the Princess grabbed his attention. "Let's ask Lenne for those two to be happy."

Sora was surprised about what Kairi was asking for, but he realizes that it was also the right thing to do. Rivalries have no authority on who loves who. He couldn't blame Kairi's kind heart for this. With or without her memories, Kairi would have done it regardless. "All right."

* * *

Sora and Kairi arrived at Lenne's shrine. Kairi then kneeled before Lenne's statue, in a prayer position. After a while, Kairi's body began to glow, and she didn't realize that she was in a trance-like state, alerting Sora.

"Princess!" Sora called out.

Then, the ground itself began to shake all around them.

* * *

At the temple, Riku and the others were experiencing the earthquake as well.

"What's going on?" asked the alert Riku.

Outside of the temple, they saw numerous spirits of light rise from the ground. The strange things about these lights is that they emitted a moaning and humming sound, as if they were ghosts of some kind. These spirits of light then rose into the sky, where they began forming into something.

* * *

Mog was sleeping through the earthquake. However, during his sleep, Mog suddenly went wide-eye. That could only mean one thing...

* * *

Linda and Alex also noticed the earthquake as well.

"This shaking...the fayth are reacting strangely," Alex realized, "Linda, please go check on Lenne. I've got to defend the temple."

"I understand," Linda nodded.

* * *

Kairi's body continued to glow in a strange light in front of Lenne's statue. The light around Kairi's body then faded from her body to Lenne's statue. Then, the glowing aura rose into the air, touching the sky to where the fayth were gathering.

* * *

Riku and the others noticed the mysterious light touching the gathering fayth. Then, before their eyes, the fayth began to take a different shape...

"Is...that a portal?" Goofy asked as he witnessed what just happened.

* * *

Kairi's body then collapsed. Sora was quick to catch her and cradle her into his arms.

"Princess, hold on!" Sora called out, "Princess!

As Sora tried to awaken the fallen Princess, he didn't notice the portal in the sky spreading out.

What could this mean? Are the Heartless engulfing the world in darkness?

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

**A/N - Sorry for the delay everyone. Those essays are a pain. I hate to say this, but expect more delays. Sorry, everyone, but education comes first.**

**Oh, btw, I know I've been using regular names, but I honestly couldn't look up some made-up names they use for Final Fantasy X/X-2. I apologize for the inconvenience.**

**I hope you enjoy this!**


	26. The Other Side

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**At the temple, Riku and the others were experiencing the earthquake as well.**

**"What's going on?" asked the alert Riku.**

**Outside of the temple, they saw numerous spirits of light rise from the ground. The strange things about these lights is that they emitted a moaning and humming sound, as if they were ghosts of some kind. These spirits of light then rose into the sky, where they began forming into something.**

* * *

**Kairi's body continued to glow in a strange light in front of Lenne's statue. The light around Kairi's body then faded from her body to Lenne's statue. Then, the glowing aura rose into the air, touching the sky to where the fayth were gathering. Kairi's body then collapsed. Sora was quick to catch her and cradle her into his arms.**

**"Princess, hold on!" Sora called out, "Princess!**

**As Sora tried to awaken the fallen Princess, he didn't notice the portal in the sky spreading out.**

**What could this mean? Are the Heartless engulfing the world in darkness?**

* * *

_**Chapter 26: The Other Side**_

* * *

The ground continued to shake violently, as the fayth continued to rise to the sky, forming an odd doorway above everyone. Riku and the others were on high alert. This could be the work of the Heartless.

"Do you think the Princess's Heart Fragment might be involved?" Goofy wondered.

"I don't know, but..." Donald replied, before looking at the strange opening in the sky.

"I can already tell that there's something wrong on that side..." noted Riku.

Behind the party, Alex showed up and was shocked to see what was happening around the temple. "Oh no, the fayth..." said the shocked Alex, "The fayth...I can sense their disturbance. They are frightened...by something..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora continued to cradle the unconscious Kairi in his arms at the site of Lenne's statue.

"Princess, please wake up!" Sora tried to call out, while shaking Kairi.

Slowly, but surely, Kairi came to. "Sora...I..." Kairi said weakly. Sora sighed in relief to know that Kairi was not seriously injured. Then, Sora and Kairi continued to watch Lenne's statue glow in a brilliant light.

"Sora! Kairi!" Linda appeared before them. As she approached them, she was shocked to see Lenne's statue glowing. Not once had Linda seen Lenne's statue glow before. "Lenne!"

* * *

Riku and the others had their respective weapons ready at the hand.

"Do you sense it too, Donald?" asked Riku.

"Yeah, I can feel darkness...in the sky," said Donald.

"And it's getting closer," said the disturbed Riku.

* * *

Linda just couldn't believe it. It was just the fact that Lenne's statue was glowing. It was far from it. Linda was in total shock about what was happening to her own little world.

"Lenne is the protector of the Youth League," said the shocked Linda, "Lenne can't be the one who brings disaster to us. No, it can't be all Lenne's fault. If it is, then I can't see him ever again." Sora and Kairi knew who Linda was talking about. They realized that Linda had wished so much to see Alex, even if for a moment. A single tear fell from Linda's face, and that tear fell onto Lenne's statue.

However, when that tear fell onto Lenne, the statue's eyes seemed to open, glowing in the same color as the aura surrounding it, surprising Sora, Kairi, and Lenne. Then, Lenne's eyes emitted a beautiful bright light towards Sora and the others. Sora wrapped his arms around Kairi, protecting her from the bright light, in case it were very harmful. Then, Lenne's statue emitted a stream of light into the sky above them.

* * *

While Riku and the others were on alert, that same light from Lenne's statue shined down on Riku and his party. Riku and the others lowered their guard down, upon having the light engulf their bodies.

"What's going on?" Goofy asked as he held his hand out, letting the light shine on his hand.

"I don't know, but look," Donald pointed to the sky, "The fayth are calming down."

Donald was right. The light seemed to put the fayth at ease. The fayth weren't moving around in a panic like they were before when the earth began shaking.

* * *

Before Sora and Kairi's eyes, they saw the fayth in the sky contain two streams of light. Then, the streams of light began to spread out in the sky, until the two spreadings of light began to engulf the entire patch of fayth in the sky. As the patch of fayth shone the same light that Lenne's statue emitted, Kairi began to hear a voice. A young man's voice.

**Lenne...soon, we'll fade together again...**

Then, the gigantic patch of light formed into another image. In the sky, there was now a different version of it. The sky showed beautiful lights, resembling the northern lights.

As Sora and Kairi stared at the sky, they turned their attention to another person. "Isn't that...?"

"It's Mog..." said Kairi.

Mog still looked like he was sleeping. Yet, Mog was floating in the air above them, glowing his usual light like he always did whenever they departed for a new world. Then, Mog spread his wings of light. "There's no Fragment in this world, kupo," Mog informed, as if he were in a trance, "But, there's one in the 'other side.'"

Suddenly, Sora and Kairi were engulfed in magic light, like they would usually be whenever they left a world. Little did they know, Riku and the others were experiencing the same thing. "We're going to the next world already?" asked the distressed Sora.

"But what about Riku and the others?" asked the frightened and worried Kairi.

Linda turned around in time to see Sora and Kairi begin to disappear in the light. "Sora! Kairi!" But it was too late. Sora and Kairi had already departed...to the next world.

* * *

Within the time and dimension space, Kairi covered her eyes into Sora's chest, as the Keyblade master held the Princess in his arms, protecting her from whatever is going on. Sora couldn't help but wonder what was going on. What did Mog mean by the "other side?"

As Sora and Kairi continued forth in the time and dimension space, Kairi began to see something. _**Who are you?**_

In this vision, Kairi saw two people, living together in a big city, filled with a variety of lights, colorful and beautiful. She witnessed these two people watch the sunset together, smile into each other's eyes, and hold each other in a warm hug. These two people...could it be that these two are lovers of some kind? Then, the vision ended, and everything went white.

* * *

"Princess, please wake up," Sora requested, shaking the Princess gently. Kairi opened her eyes and saw nothing but a blurred vision. However, her vision regained its focus and she found Sora watching her. Sora sighed in relief to see that Kairi was left unharmed.

"What was I..." Kairi wondered.

"Are you okay?" asked the concerned Sora.

"I think I had a dream," replied Kairi, "Where are we?"

"I don't know." Sora didn't have time to survey the scene, due to the presence of someone.

Before the young teenagers, a young woman in a blue dress stood tall, accompanied by what appeared to be some kind of gigantic creature. "You're just children..." the young woman noted. There was something familiar about this beautiful woman, as she stood in a majestic fashion before them. "What are you doing in a place like this?"

Sora, Kairi, and Mog then realized where they were. They were in the middle of a warzone! Two factions clashed their swords against each other's. Guns blazing about, magic flaring around, and magical creatures showing their incredible power. Next to the young woman, a soldier approached her. "Lady Lenne, are you injured?"

"No, I had Bahamut protect me," Lenne replied.

Sora, Kairi, and Mog were shocked to see who was standing before them. They couldn't believe their eyes, but it was impossible. But there was not doubt about it. The statue they saw back at Luca is the very same person they are seeing before them. "Sora, it's her!" exclaimed the shocked Kairi.

"It looks like the end is going to have unpredictable results..." noted Lenne, as she looked off to the side, "...with the Bevelle Forces..." Lenne then turned to her dragon ally, "Bahamut, please end this battle."

The gigantic dragon did as requested. Bahamut took flight. Then, as it hovered in the air, Bahamut's mouth had a magical orb shining in its mouth. However, as it got larger and larger, Bahamut spat the magical orb out. Only it wasn't an orb. It was like a gigantic energy beam. The beam engulfed the entire battlefield, avoiding only its allies, while wiping out the rest of the soldiers.

"It's no good!! Fall back!! Fall back!!" The Bevelle soldiers immediately ran away from the battlefield, knowing full well that this battle was now a losing one. The fight was over...for now.

"Thank you, Bahamut," said the grateful Lenne, as she placed her hand on the kneeling Bahamut, before the gigantic dragon disappeared into the light.

Sora and Kairi couldn't believe how much power Bahamut had. There was nothing like him back at Luca. Actually, why are they not in Luca? Why is Lenne around? "Did we land in a different world, kupo?" Mog asked. Sora and Kairi realized that they were on a mountain region, and next to the mountains, there was a beautiful city, surrounded by colorful and beautiful lights. Kairi instantly recognized the city. It was the very same one that she saw in her vision.

"If only this war were over...so much has been lost..." said Lenne, as if she were regretful, "If only Bevelle and Zanarkand could talk things over, peacefully."

"Zanarkand?" said the surprised Kairi.

"I thought Zanarkand was destroyed 1000 years ago!" exclaimed the surprised Sora.

"What are you two talking about?" questioned the soldier, "Are you two soldiers for the Bevelle military!?"

"No," replied Lenne, "If they were, they would have attacked us."

"But, my lady..." the soldier tried to reason out, but was immediately cut off by Lenne.

"Bring these children to my mansion," Lenne requested to the soldier.

"Yes, my lady," the soldier obliged. Sora was immediately on the defensive for Kairi, holding his arm out, blocking her from the soldier. "I shall have them arrested and--"

"No," interrupted Lenne, "Bring them to my mansion as honored guests."

"What?" said the surprised soldier.

"Sergeant, please don't let me say it again," Lenne warned gently.

"...Yes, my lady," the sergeant obliged reluctantly. It was very clear that the soldier was still distrustful of Sora, Kairi, and Mog.

Sora and his friends were surprised as well, to be invited by the very person that was considered the guardian of the Youth League. It was such an honor. "My friends, I welcome you to Zanarkand," Lenne greeted politely.

* * *

Sora, Kairi, and Mog were in Lenne's mansion. It was such a beautiful place. Lenne must have been a rich person to afford a mansion this big and luxurious. Sora and his friends relaxed themselves in the living room, surrounded by various snacks and sweets. Mog lied himself in one of the bowls, which contained mini-muffins. Judging from the way Mog was lying himself in the bowl, it was clear that Mog was enjoying the hospitality.

"Do you think Riku and the others are here, too?" asked Kairi.

"I'm not sure," replied Sora, "But I sure hope they are. They could be looking for us right now."

"This is really yummy, kupo!" Mog said happily, as he continued to eat the mini-muffins inside the bowl.

Sora and Kairi couldn't help but smile, seeing how happy the moogle was. Unfortunately, the soldier that accompanied Lenne was still distrustful of the trio. "Sorry for the wait," announced coming into the room. Lenne was accompanied by a couple of maids, who were carrying a couple of musical intruments. "Are you all enjoying the food?"

"The food here is very, very tasty, kupo!" Mog said happily.

"I'm glad to hear that," Lenne smiled. As Lenne took a seat on her sofa, across from the young teenagers, Lenne noticed Kairi eyeing a guitar-like instrument that one of her maids were carrying. "Is there something wrong with this?"

"No, not at all," replied Kairi, "It's just that instrument is very similar to the one back at my country." Lenne permitted one of her maids to bring the guitar to Kairi for close inspection. As the maid handed Kairi the guitar, the Princess realized something about the guitar. "It is the same! It's strange, even though this is from another country."

"Kairi, do you know how to play the guitar, kupo?" asked Mog.

"Yes, just a little bit," replied Kairi.

"I would like it hear it," Lenne requested politely.

"Eh?" Kairi's eyes grew in surprise. "But, I can't play it well..." Kairi turned to Sora, asking for some support or some back-up.

"I'd like to hear it, too, Princess," Sora requested with a smile, much to Kairi's embarrassment.

Kairi blushed furiously, worried that she'll only strum a wrong note in front of everyone. Kairi wasn't much of entertaining other people. "Please stop me if it sounds bad..." Kairi instructed Sora. Kairi then composed herself and began picking the strings accordingly. Mog hopped into Sora's lap, wanting to hear Kairi's music as well. Miraculously, the music sounded beautiful. It sounded peaceful and graceful at the same time. Any person would be drawn to it, just to hear the sound more and more. Kairi played the guitar as if she were a natural musician.

"It sounds so pretty," said the relaxed Mog.

Sora enjoyed the sound of Kairi's music as well. The music matched Kairi very well. Not only Mog and Sora, but everyone around the room, the maids, the soldier, even Lenne were drawn to the beautiful sound of Kairi's music.

While everyone was enjoying the music, Sora looked down on his lap to Mog. "Mog, is there a presence of a Heart Fragment in this world?"

"Mog does sense a strong presence, kupo," informed Mog.

"Where?" asked Sora.

"Somewhere...away from Zanarkand...next to something...big..." said Mog.

Outside of Zanarkand, and next to something big. What could this be?

After hearing Mog's information, Kairi finished her piece. "That was very beautiful, Kairi," Lenne praised. Lenne then had her cup filled with wine and motioned for her maid to fill Sora's, Kairi's, and Mog's cup full of wine. "I'd like to propose a toast, in honor of you, Sora, and Mog, my honorary guests."

One maid handed a cup of wine to Kairi. Kairi looked at the wine curiously. She didn't want to turn the offer down, out of politeness. Mog seemed to enjoy the offer, seeing as how happy he was to see the wine. Sora, however, knew exactly where this was going to be heading...

* * *

Later that night, Sora, Kairi, and Mog were permitted to stay at Lenne's mansion for the night, seeing as how they had nowhere to go. Sora tucked the sleeping Kairi into her bed, with Mog lending Sora a hand. Apparently, drinking the wine seemed to have taken a toll on the Princess.

"Kairi got drunk again, kupo!" Mog said happily.

* * *

The next day, Sora and Mog entered Kairi's bedroom to check up on her, after all, the Princess did get drunk after that wine. However, Kairi was still sleeping.

"It's already past noon, and Kairi still hasn't waken up, yet, kupo," said Mog, "Is it because she's tired? Did Kairi ever wake up early before she lost her Heart Fragments?"

"No," Sora shook his head, "She just loves sleeping in." Sora moved in to move Kairi's bangs away from Kairi's face. "Or, it's probably because we haven't retrieved enough Fragments yet..." Sora held a determined look on his face when he mentioned the Heart Fragment. **If there are any Fragments in this world, I will find them...**

"Is Kairi still sleeping?" Lenne asked, coming into the room, along with her maids. "It's noon already. Are you all hungry?"

"Yay! Food!" Mog cheered happily, hopping up and down for joy, "Mog's starving, kupo!"

"When Kairi wakes up soon, please escort her to my garden," requested Lenne to one of her maids.

"Yes, my lady," one of the maids responded.

Sora noticed that this was too much. As much as he appreciated it, he felt like they were being spoiled. Sora wasn't sure how to pay back Lenne's generous hospitality. Lenne noticed Sora trying to be modest about the whole thing. "You don't have to be modest, Sora," Lenne assured, "You are my honorary guests. And as my guests, I will personally make sure no harm comes to any of you." Despite his beauty, Sora saw determination and courage in her eyes. "Shall we have lunch?"

"Yes," Sora responded politely.

"Is Mog a guest, too, kupo?" Mog asked eagerly, hopping into Lenne's hand, and shaking hands with her.

"Why, of course," Lenne smiled to the little moogle.

"Yay!" Mog cheered.

Lenne took the moogle with her towards her garden room, while Sora stay behind. Sora took the time to cover Kairi's shoulders with the blanket. "I'm going to ask Lenne about this world, so rest up, okay?" informed Sora to the sleeping Kairi.

* * *

Sora and Mog joined Lenne in her garden. They sat at a table, surrounded by a variety of plants and flowers, most likely planted by Lenne herself. The scenery was so peaceful, due to calm aura the garden gave off and the sweet smell of the flowers. Sora and Mog enjoyed the bread that the maids gave out for them. Lenne found it strange that Kairi would still be sleeping at this hour. However, Sora and Mog explained the reason.

"So, Kairi is still sleeping, I see," noted Lenne.

"Yup, she is, kupo," Mog replied.

"She's probably tired from the traveling we've been through," commented Sora.

"Are you worried?" asked Lenne. Sora was stumped by Lenne's question. Was it that obvious on Sora? "Even last night, you were focused on Kairi the whole time." Sora couldn't help but scratch his head and look off to the side. Lenne could see it. Sora really did care for Kairi. Sora looking at Kairi the entire time was enough proof.

Mog hopped up to one of Lenne's flowers and sniffed the scent that it gave off. "These flowers smell very nice, kupo! Lulu would loves these!" said Mog.

"If you'd like, you may take some," offered Lenne.

"Yay! Thank you!" said the grateful moogle. The four of the flowers glowed before it began to shrink to the size of a palm, before it entered Mog's mouth. Apparently, Mog was trasferring the flowers to Lulu's location.

"By the way, you said this place is called Zanarkand, right?" asked Sora.

"Yes, it is," replied Lenne.

"Then the other people that you fought last night..." said Sora.

"Yes, they are from another city in Spira, Bevelle," Lenne finished. "I'm not sure who started it, but our differences have put us at odds with each other, up until now."

Sora realized the whole situation. **It's just like back at Luca... **And Sora was right. New Yevon and the Youth League are at odds with each other, because of their different beliefs.

* * *

_"As of this moment, the Youth League are no longer welcome here!" a representative of New Yevon proclaimed._

_"Oh my. How can you say such a thing?" Angela mused._

_"Don't toy with us, woman! Those creatures attacked our temple last night!" declared the angry representative._

_"You're not suggesting that it was Lenne's fault?" asked Angela._

_"Who else could it be!? If you're not going to leave here at once..." the representative threatened._

_"And what will you do?" Angela challenged_

_"We'll make you leave!" The representative tried to make his first move, raising club upwards, threatening to do harm to Angela._

_Fortunately, the hit had no chance to connect. Linda appeared in front of Angela and blocked the attack, using a bo staff. "Don't you dare harm our lead performer!" threatened Linda._

_"Stay out of this, little girl!" the representative commanded._

_The only answer the representative got was a swift kick to the face. "Like I'm going to listen to you, you New Yevon rejects!" The representative fell to the ground, completely knocked out from the kick he received. "This is our home. It's bad enough Yevon corrupted Spira, so what makes you guys any different!?"_

* * *

It was the same as both worlds. Two factions in a big dispute over their own beliefs. Who is right, who is wrong; which rule is better, which rule is worst.

"What's happening in the war so far?" asked Sora, as Lenne quietly sipped her cup of juice, listening the sound of birds chirping about.

"Right now, we've lost many battles," informed Lenne, "Up until now, we've relied only on our magic and our aeons, our magical allies."

"Like that tall dragon what was with you?" asked Sora.

"Yes, just like Bahamut," replied Lenne, "Bevelle, however, have been relying on a new type of weapon, that seems to be more powerful than even our own magic, machinas."

"Machinas?" Now that Lenne mentioned it, Sora did notice that the Bevelle forces have had nothing but mechanical weapons on their side, beside their use in their firearms. There was no magic among them being used. "So, what will you do, considering that they have the advantage in this battle?"

"There is nothing for me to do but to keep fighting," said Lenne, "But...someone had volunteered to do something, behind enemy lines."

"Someone? Who?" asked Sora.

"My lover...Shuyin," replied Lenne.

Sora wasn't told that Lenne had a lover back at Luca. Since when did Lenne have a boyfriend. "What's this Shuyin going to do?"

"Shuyin was told that there was something that could help turn the tide of this war, perhaps even ending it," said Lenne, "Shuyin never told me about it. I haven't seen him since two nights ago, when he left for Bevelle. When I saw him that night, I saw something in his eyes. His desire. When I looked in those eyes, I saw his desire to protect me, ever since I was put in the front lines of this war. ...Everyone in this battle have their own desires, Sora. No one is human, without desires. If there are people who say they don't have any desires, that's only because they haven't looked deeply in their hearts."

"Then...if I may ask, what is your desire, Lenne?" asked the curious Sora.

Lenne merely remained silent on Sora's question. As Mog walked up to her on the table, Lenne began petting the little moogle, much to the moogle's happiness. "You mentioned that you're traveling, right, Sora?"

"Yes," replied Sora.

"What's the reason behind your travels?" asked Lenne.

"There's something that I'm looking for," answered Sora.

"And you think it might be here in Spira?" asked Lenne.

"I can't say for sure, but there is a chance," informed Sora, "I have a favor to ask."

"And what may that be?" questioned Lenne.

"Please, take me to Bevelle," requested Sora.

Lenne's index finger twitched slightly while she held her cup. Although she didn't show it, she was surprised about Sora's request. "We are currently warring with them," Lenne reminded, "You might lose your life there."

"I won't die," Sora declared, "Because I have something that I must do."

Lenne remained quiet after Sora's declaration. Then, Lenne gently placed her cup back on the table. "I can't take you to Bevelle."

"But, Lenne...!" Sora was about to protest, but...

Lenne suddenly giggled, confusing Sora. "You don't plan on going to Bevelle dressed like that, do you?"

Sora then remembered. He was still wearing a girl's outfit up until now.

Sora's embarrassment from Luca started to haunt him again. He could never shake the feeling of being embarrassed beyond reality so easily. And apparently, it followed him even to Zanarkand.

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	27. Enter Shuyin

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**Sora, Kairi, and Mog were shocked to see who was standing before them. They couldn't believe their eyes, but it was impossible. But there was not doubt about it. The statue they saw back at Luca is the very same person they are seeing before them. "Sora, it's her!" exclaimed the shocked Kairi.**

**

* * *

****"There is nothing for me to do but to keep fighting," said Lenne, "But...someone had volunteered to do something, behind enemy lines."**

**"Someone? Who?" asked Sora.**

**"My lover...Shuyin," replied Lenne.**

**Sora wasn't told that Lenne had a lover back at Luca. Since when did Lenne have a boyfriend. "What's this Shuyin going to do?"**

**"Shuyin was told that there was something that could help turn the tide of this war, perhaps even ending it," said Lenne, "Shuyin never told me about it. I haven't seen him since two nights ago, when he left for Bevelle. When I saw him that night, I saw something in his eyes. His desire. When I looked in those eyes, I saw his desire to protect me, ever since I was put in the front lines of this war. ...Everyone in this battle have their own desires, Sora. No one is human, without desires. If there are people who say they don't have any desires, that's only because they haven't looked deeply in their hearts."**

**"Then...if I may ask, what is your desire, Lenne?" asked the curious Sora.**

**Lenne merely remained silent on Sora's question. As Mog walked up to her on the table, Lenne began petting the little moogle, much to the moogle's happiness. "You mentioned that you're traveling, right, Sora?"**

**"Yes," replied Sora.**

**"What's the reason behind your travels?" asked Lenne.**

**"There's something that I'm looking for," answered Sora.**

**"And you think it might be here in Spira?" asked Lenne.**

**"I can't say for sure, but there is a chance," informed Sora, "I have a favor to ask."**

**"And what may that be?" questioned Lenne.**

**"Please, take me to Bevelle," requested Sora.**

**Lenne's index finger twitched slightly while she held her cup. Although she didn't show it, she was surprised about Sora's request. "We are currently warring with them," Lenne reminded, "You might lose your life there."**

**"I won't die," Sora declared, "Because I have something that I must do."**

* * *

**_Chapter 27: Enter Shuyin_  
**

**

* * *

**Sora was glad to be back in his original clothes. He was thankful to say goodbye to his girl's outfit. However, to Sora, he had no time to think about his embarrassing moment being dressed up as a girl. There was still the issue about the whereabouts of Kairi's Heart Fragment and Riku and the others. Sora wasn't sure if Riku and the others were in the same world as he was. If they were, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto would no doubt be caught in this war. Sora can't tell if they were here. All he could do was hope that his friends were okay and safe from the battlefield.

Sora and Mog entered Kairi's bedroom to check up on the Princess. Mog hopped off of Sora's shoulder and onto Kairi's bed. Mog walked up to Kairi, only to find that the Princess was sleeping peacefully like before.

"Kairi is still sleeping, kupo," informed Mog.

"Mog, please stay here with the Princess," Sora requested to the moogle.

"Don't worry," said Mog, "I'll keep her company, kupo!"

Sora gripped his Keyblade firmly in his hand. Sora was fully aware that he is about to enter a war zone. But despite that fact, Sora's only concern was the Princess's Heart Fragment. "I'm going...Princess..." With those words, Sora headed out of Kairi's bedroom, leaving Kairi in Mog's custody until his return.

* * *

Sora, while being accompanied by Lenne and her loyal sergeant, walked out of Zanarkand and onto a big grass and mountain field, alongside a battalion, most likely under Lenne's lieutenants' supervision. Most of these soldiers were only experts in magic, hand-to-hand, swordsmanship, and summoning; much like Lenne.

Lenne placed Sora directly under her supervision, given the fact that she deemed Sora as her honored guest, and a trusted ally, much to the dismay of her sergeant.

"This is absurd," the sergeant protested to Lenne, "Taking someone you don't even know all the way to Bevelle! What are you thinking, my lady!?"

"Nothing at all," replied Lenne. Lenne then eyed Sora. She saw fierce determination in him, despite the fact that he was aware of the ongoing battle that is about to take place. She saw how Sora was willing to put himself in danger for the sake of his friend, Kairi. "I just want to witness, for myself...a fulfilled desire." Lenne's sergeant didn't quite understand what Lenne meant by a fulfilled desire. "Sergeant, if something happens to me, you must take Sora back to my mansion, and please treat him well."

"My lady..." The sergeant was obviously against it, still distrusting the young Keyblade master.

"I trust Sora with my life, sergeant," said Lenne, "You must do the same."

"...Yes, my lady," the soldier reluctantly agreed.

"Sora, the battle is about to begin..." Lenne announced.

"I'm ready," Sora declared, gripping his Keyblade firmly in his hands.

The group of summoners walked up to the front and used their magical abilities to summon their aeons to the battlefield. There were a variety of aeons standing before Sora. Some were horses of lightning, some were beasts of fire, some were ice mistresses, some were creatures of the wind, and finally, there was Lenne's aeon leading the charge, Bahamut.

As soon as the aeons were summoned to the field, cannons immediately opened fire upon the Zanarkand soldiers. It seems the Bevelle military saw them approaching their encampment and immediately got their weapons ready. Magicians aided their allies with the help of a protective barrier, which shielded all of them from the projectile firing machinas.

"Summoners, magicians, return fire!!" the sergeant commanded to his troops.

Upon his command, the magicians used their elemental magic to fire projectiles towards the Bevelle military unit, followed by even more powerful magic coming from the aeons themselves, which helped destroy the cannons that were being fired.

"All right! Full charge!!" the sergeant commanded once again to the troops.

With nothing to stop them, the entire platoon made a full charge towards the enemy complex, where several of the Bevelle military immediately got into their positions, and readying their machinas and rifles.

The Zanarkand military provided cover for Lenne and Sora, as they attempted to make their way through the enemy complex, despite some resistance that they've encountered along the way. Because Lenne was not proficient in close-range combat, Sora provided her protection with the aid of his Keyblade. Lenne was astonished by Sora's impressive swordsmanship skills. She never knew how well of a combatant Sora was.

The Bevelle military realized that they were fighting a losing battle. Despite causing some number of casualties among their enemies, it was their soldiers that were suffering the bigger casualties.

"Commander! We're not going to make it!" reasoned a lieutenant.

"Then, we have no choice! Summon the dark creatures!" commanded the commander.

Suddenly, without warning, the entire Zanarkand military was surrounded by the very thing that Sora had not expected to show up in this world. Heartless had suddenly appeared before the Zanarkand soldiers!

"Heartless!?" Sora exclaimed in surprise.

"Heartless?" asked Lenne.

"Lenne, please be careful," Sora advised, "These things are tricky." Sora gripped his Keyblade, doing what he does best against these fiends. Still, he couldn't believe that the Heartless would be here as well. **_I thought the Bevelle military only employed machinas. Since when did they recruit the Heartless in their ranks?_**

Unfortunately, for the Zanarkand military, they had no experience against these dark fiends. Despite their expertise in close-range combat, magic, and summoning, they were no match for the overhwhelming numbers of Heartless appearing before them. Worst of all, the Heartless were too tricky and too agile for the Zanarkand soldiers to land a hit...

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Lenne's mansion, Kairi and Mog were sound asleep in Kairi's bedroom. As the Princess and the moogle slept peacefully, Kairi's body, suddenly, began to glow a mysterious light...

* * *

It was now the Zanarkand military that was facing the losing battle. Little by little, the Zanarkand soldiers were suffering critical wounds or had lost their lives at the hands of not only the Bevelle military forces, but their Heartless allies. The only people that were able to repel the Heartless was Sora, Lenne, with the aid of her aeon, Bahamut; and her sergeant. However, despite them vanquishing the Heartless, more and more kept taking their places. If one was taken down, three more appear in its place.

"Sora, there's too many of them!" exclaimed Lenne.

"My lady, we can't win this battle," reasoned the sergeant, "We are getting more wounded men on the battlefield. I strongly advise that we retreat for now."

"Yes, I agree," nodded Lenne, "Sora, I'm sorry I can't take you to Bevelle, but we must head back for the time being."

Sora didn't like the idea, but he knew she was right. If the situation continued any further, they will eventually tire out and surely be caught or killed. Sorry, Princess... Sora finished off his last Heartless, before attempting to run away. Lenne's aeon did his best to give them time to escape. Ultimately, the Heartless managed to vanquish the powerful Bahamut, much to Lenne's dismay.

As they attempted to escape, a couple of Heartless jumped up into the air, before landing on Lenne, effectively restraining her. Sora and Lenne's sergeant turned around to see Lenne being captured. The sergeant tried to run back, but another wave of Heartless restrained him, just as they did to Lenne. Lenne continued to struggle out of the Heartless' grip, but to no avail. Sora was the only one left to rescue Lenne. Sora fended off waves of Heartless that tried to restrain him. Unfortunately, this was a mere distraction. Turning around to catch up to Lenne, Sora failed to see an incoming rifle. Everything went black as soon as Sora saw the rifle butt heading his way.

* * *

It seemed like moments to Sora. His memory was a little fuzzy. Sora heard a vague, familiar voice calling his name, but he couldn't make out who was calling him. Hearing his name more and more coming from the familiar voice, he began to open his eyes. His vision was blurry at first, but the first thing he saw were a few familiar faces.

"Welcome back, Sora!" Riku smiled. Sora couldn't believe his eyes. Riku and the others have appeared. Pluto came up to Sora and began licking Sora, until he was fully awake.

"Are you feeling, okay, Sora?" Goofy asked, as he poked the red mark on his cheek, making Sora cringe in pain.

"Yeah, I'm okay," replied Sora, rubbing the bruise on his cheek, "Where did you guys come from?"

"From Zanarkand," answered Donald.

"Zanarkand?" Sora found that strange. Sora and Kairi were coming from Zanarkand as well. How was it that he hadn't known his other friends were there, as well? "You all came from Zanarkand? That's where I just came from!"

"Well, that's a coincidence," said Goofy, "After all these times, we've been looking all over for ya."

"Zanarkand's a bigger city that you might think, Sora," noted Riku, "Finding you and Kairi wasn't exactly a walk in the park."

"What have you all been doing all this time?" asked Sora.

"We joined the Zanarkand military," informed Donald, "We thought it would help us have more ground to cover looking for you and Kairi."

"The Princess and I have been looking for you back in Luca," explained Sora, "How did we get separated?"

"Remember what Lulu said? Mog can't control how we're going to travel," reminded Donald.

"It must be by chance that we got separated," hypothesize Riku, "We were either 'lucky' or unlucky."

"By the way, what were you doing out here, Sora?" asked Goofy.

"I was on my way to Bevelle," explained Sora, "I don't know if it is true, but there's a chance that the Princess's Heart Fragment might be there."

"So, Kairi's Heart Fragment is involved, somehow" concluded Donald.

"You knew?" asked the surprised Sora.

"Not exactly," replied Riku, "While we were separated, we entered a portal and ended up here. I'm pretty sure the same thing happened to you, Sora. We didn't know what was going on at the time, but we thought that maybe Kairi's Heart Fragment was probably behind this."

"Lenne was supposed to take me to Bevelle," explained Sora. Mentioning Lenne's name, Sora fully realized what had just happened. Standing up from the ground, Sora quickly looked around, looking for the Zanarkand leader. "Lenne! Where is she!?"

"If you're looking for that there pretty lady, then you're out of luck, Sora," said Goofy, "According to what we heard from everyone else, Lenne was captured by the Bevelle military."

"I can guess she's being taken to their main headquarters," theorized Donald.

"Hey, Sora," Riku spoke up, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder, "I know you want to help Lenne and check to see if Kairi's Heart Fragment is there, but we should pull back for now. Besides, Kairi might be worried sick about you, right?"

Sora didn't like the idea much because he was in a hurry to find Kairi's Heart Fragment. However, Riku was right. Not only had he sustained some injuries and needs to rest and recuperate, but Kairi might be worried sick for him. Sora didn't want the Princess to be too worried about him. It pained Sora to see Kairi worry about his safety, just like when they were in Twilight Town. "...Yeah, you're right," Sora nodded. Sora then placed his Keyblade away and headed off with his friends, whilst carrying some of the wounded and injured back to Zanarkand, with the help of Riku and the others.

* * *

Meanwhile, arriving in Bevelle, with restraints on her wrists, Lenne was taken to the prison cells of Bevelle's main headquarters. Lenne walked with the soldiers peacefully, not wanting to show hostilities for the worst. One of the soldiers opened up Lenne's vacant cell, while the other one released the restraints on Lenne's wrists. Lenne obediently entered her cell, leaving the soldiers to lock her cell door.

"Tell me," Lenne requested, "What is it that you plan to do with me?"

"That is not up to us, Lenne," the soldier replied, "You're the propaganda for the Zanarkand people. We take you away, they'll lose their focus. Your sentence will be made soon. Until then, make yourself comfortable." With those cold words, the soldiers left Lenne behind to attend to their other duties.

As Lenne began to sit herself down on the ground, a voice called her out...a familiar voice.

"Lenne?"

Lenne looked up next to her cell, to find someone there as well. Lenne knew who this was. "Shuyin?"

Shuyin, a young blond man, ran up to his side of the cell to reach out for Lenne. Lenne immediately ran to Shuyin and grasped is hand in hers. Lenne then placed Shuyin's hand on her cheek and looked deeply into Shuyin's eyes. "I'm so glad you're safe, Shuyin."

* * *

Kairi continued to sleep in her bed peacefully, as he body continued to glow a mysterious light.

"Where am I?" Kairi asked herself in her sleep.

* * *

Kairi found herself in another world. What is this place? How did Kairi get here? As she surveyed the entire place, she found two people on a mountainside, looking off to the evening moon that shone beautifully over them.

_"It's beautiful," said Lenne as she stared at the shining moon._

_"Yes, it is," replied Shuyin._

_"When this is all over, my next song will be about us and how we spent our time under this exact moon," declared Lenne._

_"I look forward to it, Lenne," smiled Shuyin._

Kairi watched as Lenne and Shuyin held each other, hand in hand. From what Kairi could tell, this Shuyin must be Lenne's boyfriend.

* * *

The setting changed itself, and Kairi found herself in Lenne's mansion. It was late at night. The only illumination that the mansion had were the neon lights that Zanarkand gave off.

_In the hallway, Lenne encountered someone, who was hiding in the shadows. _

_"What are you doing here?" asked Lenne._

_The figure provided no answer. The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself before Lenne. Lenne was surprised to see Shuyin there. "What is it, Shuyin?"_

_"Lenne, I know about your position in this war," confessed Shuyin, "I can't accept that."_

_"But Shuyin..." Lenne tried to reason out._

_"No, Lenne," Shuyin protested calmly, "Your position isn't safe. You could lose your very life. And I can't imagine a life worth living without you."_

_"Shuyin..." Lenne said._

_Shuyin then took Lenne's hands in his and pulled himself closer to his lover. "That's why, I'm going to end this war. By myself, if I have to."_

_"But, how will you do that?" asked Lenne._

_"There is something in Bevelle that can end this war," explained Shuyin, "I'm going to travel there, and use it to cease this useless fighting. I'm not doing this for Zanarkand's sake...but for yours..." Lenne saw how dedicated his love for her was. "If I don't come back...know...that I love you." Shuyin and Lenne then closed their eyes and leaned in towards each other, pressing their lips together. They stayed like this for a long time, as if this were going to be the last thing of happiness they would have._

* * *

Kairi was still in bed, until finally, she came around. It felt like moments to her. The last thing she remembered was a minor party with Sora, Mog, and Lenne, as well as her maidens. Kairi rose up from the bed, failing to notice Mog sleeping on top of her and accidentally rolling the sleeping moogle off to the side of her bed, which caused Mog to awaken upon landing on the side.

"Was I asleep this whole time?" Kairi asked.

Mog hopped back up on his feet, upon Kairi's question. "Yup, you were sleeping like a baby, kupo!" Mog said happily.

Kairi stretched herself, now that she woke up from her longtime sleep. "I must have been watching a dream."

"What kind of dream, kupo?" asked Mog.

Kairi couldn't recall what kind of dream she had. Was it the past she was watching, or was it showing what was happening in the present? "I don't know," replied Kairi.

Just then, Sora walked in, having returned from his rough battle. Sora came in to check up on Kairi, only to be surprised that Kairi had awaken from her slumber. However, upon entering her bedroom, Kairi was shocked to see Sora's clothes torn a little and some bruises on his arms and a small bruise on his face.

"Sora!" exclaimed the shocked Kairi. Kairi immediately got out of her bed and ran up to Sora, with Mog tagging along on her shoulder. "You're hurt. What happened?"

"Well, um..." Sora wasn't sure how to explain it to Kairi. The last thing Sora wanted to do was worry Kairi to death.

"Sora went to go to Bevelle, kupo!" Mog blurted out.

"Mog!" Sora exclaimed to Mog.

"Oops, it slipped!" Mog said happily.

"Please, Sora, don't try to act strong for me," Kairi pleaded, "I know I can't do much. But, at the least, let me worry about you."

Sora felt a little guilty for making Kairi feel this way. "I'm sorry."

"May I touch it?" Kairi requested.

"Um, sure," replied Sora.

As soon as Kairi placed her hand on Sora's bruised arm, Sora winced in pain. However, the pain was immediately replaced with warmth and comfort. "A long time ago, my grandfather used to do this to me," recalled the Princess, "He called it 'treatment.' I know I don't have special powers, but if I put my feelings into someone's pain, they would feel much better," Kairi explained as she kept her hand on Sora's bruised arm.

Sora was very much touched by Kairi's kindness. "Thank you."

Mog then hopped onto Sora's shoulder and placed a tiny paw on Sora's bruised arm. "Mog will treat you, too, kupo!" Mog cheered.

"Thank you, too, Mog," Sora smiled.

"Did you find anything out after going to Bevelle?" asked Mog.

"No," answered Sora, "But I found Riku and the others."

"You did!?" asked the surprised Kairi.

"Yes. Apparently, they just landed in the wrong part of Zanarkand," informed Sora, "They're okay, though. After they arrived here, they came looking for us."

"I see..." said Kairi.

"But that's a good thing, kupo!" Mog cheered, "That means the gang is back together!"

Sora and Kairi smiled at the happy moogle. Mog was right. Now that everyone was back together, things might begin to get better...

* * *

Elsewhere, in a world of darkness, Xemnas and Larxene were watching a viewing window, only to see nothing but static and white noise, like what one would see in a broken TV.

"It looks like they entered a world that we never planned for them," noted Larxene.

"Up until now, we were able to guide them into the worlds that we've planned for them," said Xemnas.

"Namely the safe worlds, correct?" asked Larxene.

"What's the point if they lost their lives?" stated Xemnas. "That thing was created for the sake of this plan. In order to obtain what is hidden within those caverns of Destiny Islands, we must have them work."

"Yet, the sorceress won't stop meddling in our affairs," concluded Larxene, "You're aware of this, but we are not able to guide their travels because of her interference. Depending on their situation, there is a chance that they might die."

"Yes, I am perfectly aware," responded Xemnas.

"Are you able to defeat her, the powerful sorceress, Lulu?" asked Larxene.

"I have made preparations to defeat her," replied Xemnas, "But even that won't be enough. She is the only one who can use magic, and she's just as powerful as that man...Ansem the Wise. She has the ability to cross through different worlds, as well as send people to other worlds." Xemnas then raised his hand towards the screen, and then balled it into a fist. "However, I shall gain that power within this hand."

Xemnas then turned to the liquid tube, where this mysterious teenager continued to sleep. "It seems like his awakening will be upon us sooner than we had anticipated..."

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

**_

* * *

_A/N - This chapter as been completely revised for better quality and understanding. I apologize for the inconvenience...**


	28. Lenne's Wish

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**It seemed like moments to Sora. His memory was a little fuzzy. Sora heard a vague, familiar voice calling his name, but he couldn't make out who was calling him. Hearing his name more and more coming from the familiar voice, he began to open his eyes. His vision was blurry at first, but the first thing he saw were a few familiar faces.**

**"Welcome back, Sora!" Riku smiled. Sora couldn't believe his eyes. Riku and the others have appeared. Pluto came up to Sora and began licking Sora, until he was fully awake.**

* * *

**The setting changed itself, and Kairi found herself in Lenne's mansion. It was late at night. The only illumination that the mansion had were the neon lights that Zanarkand gave off.**

**_In the hallway, Lenne encountered someone, who was hiding in the shadows. _**

**_"What are you doing here?" asked Lenne._**

**_The figure provided no answer. The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself before Lenne. Lenne was surprised to see Shuyin there. "What is it, Shuyin?"_**

**_"Lenne, I know about your position in this war," confessed Shuyin, "I can't accept that."_**

**_"But Shuyin..." Lenne tried to reason out._**

**_"No, Lenne," Shuyin protested calmly, "Your position isn't safe. You could lose your very life. And I can't imagine a life worth living without you."_**

**_"Shuyin..." Lenne said._**

**_Shuyin then took Lenne's hands in his and pulled himself closer to his lover. "That's why, I'm going to end this war. By myself, if I have to."_**

**_"But, how will you do that?" asked Lenne._**

**_"There is something in Bevelle that can end this war," explained Shuyin, "I'm going to travel there, and use it to cease this useless fighting. I'm not doing this for Zanarkand's sake...but for yours..." Lenne saw how dedicated his love for her was. "If I don't come back...know...that I love you." Shuyin and Lenne then closed their eyes and leaned in towards each other, pressing their lips together. They stayed like this for a long time, as if this were going to be the last thing of happiness they would have._**

* * *

**Elsewhere, in a world of darkness, Xemnas and Larxene were watching a viewing window, only to see nothing but static and white noise, like what one would see in a broken TV.**

**"It looks like they entered a world that we never planned for them," noted Larxene.**

**"Up until now, we were able to guide them into the worlds that we've planned for them," said Xemnas.**

**"Namely the safe worlds, correct?" asked Larxene.**

**"What's the point if they lost their lives?" stated Xemnas. "That thing was created for the sake of this plan. In order to obtain what is hidden within those caverns of Destiny Islands, we must have them work."**

**"Yet, the sorceress won't stop meddling in our affairs," concluded Larxene, "You're aware of this, but we are not able to guide their travels because of her interference. Depending on their situation, there is a chance that they might die."**

**"Yes, I am perfectly aware," responded Xemnas.**

**"Are you able to defeat her, the powerful sorceress, Lulu?" asked Larxene.**

**"I have made preparations to defeat her," replied Xemnas, "But even that won't be enough. She is the only one who can use magic, and she's just as powerful as that man...Ansem the Wise. She has the ability to cross through different worlds, as well as send people to other worlds." Xemnas then raised his hand towards the screen, and then balled it into a fist. "However, I shall gain that power within this hand."**

**Xemnas then turned to the liquid tube, where this mysterious teenager continued to sleep. "It seems like his awakening will be upon us sooner than we had anticipated..."**

* * *

_**Chapter 28: Lenne's Wish**_

* * *

Sora suddenly felt a deep sharp pain, coming from his blind right eye. Sora cringed and held his right eye tightly in pain. It was like someone threw a sharp object into his blind eye. Kairi saw this and she was immediately worried for her friend.

"What's wrong, Sora?" asked the worried Kairi.

"It's my eye..." Sora replied after he released his eye, as the pain subsided.

"Does it hurt?" Kairi asked as she came up to him closer.

"Just a little bit," answered Sora.

Nothing prepared Sora for Kairi's next, unexpected move. Without warning, Kairi's lips were pressed above Sora's aching eye. Sora's eyes widened in complete surprised. Sora was not just surprised by Kairi's action...he was completely speechless. Why was the Princess kissing Sora's aching eye?

"P-Princess Kairi..." stammered the surprised Sora.

"What's wrong?" asked Kairi, unsure of what just happened. Kairi wasn't sure what just happened to herself just now. It was like her body just moved by itself, ignoring her will completely.

"A kiss!" Mog exclaimed happily, "It's a kiss on the eye, kupo!"

Kairi gasped and covered her mouth with her hands in shock. By now, Kairi was blushing furiously about what just happened. "Oh my goodness!" exclaimed the surprised Kairi, "I'm so sorry! I..."

"Oh, no...it's...um..." Sora was at a complete loss for words. By now, he was blushing just as bright as Kairi. He didn't know how to handle this situation, not that he didn't mind a kiss on his eye.

"I...I don't know what came over me," said the embarrassed Kairi.

Mog could only giggle at their moment. "It's a kiss, kupo!" Mog cheered.

* * *

Elsewhere, Shuyin was sleeping in his cell, considering that he has nothing to do, as long as he's a prisoner of Bevelle. However, Lenne was fully awake. In her hand, there was some kind of device that looked like some kind of water globe. This water globe seems to act as a sort of viewing sphere of some kind, to view previous recordings or other occurences.

In this sphere, Lenne saw the whole scene between Sora and Kairi, up to the part where Kairi unexpectedly kissed her friend on his aching eye.

"To think about another must be a nice feeling," Lenne whispered to herself, "Perhaps it's time to decide my feelings as well. Even if it's for the future of these two."

Lenne then shut off her viewing sphere and turned to see the sleeping Shuyin.

* * *

Back at Lenne's mansion, Sora and Kairi were facing away from each other, still embarrassed about what just happened and unsure of what they should say.

Mog hopped up between them, facing Kairi. "That kiss just now must have been the memory of the body, kupo," Mog informed Kairi.

"The memory of the body?" asked Kairi.

"That's what Lulu said," Mog began to explain, "There are two kinds of memories: the memories of the heart and the memories of the body. The heart's memories are just as important as the body's, kupo. And she said, 'There are times where the heart may forget, but the body will always remember, no matter what,' kupo. Mog doesn't really understand it well, but you wanting to kiss his aching eye was most likely because even though forgot because of your lost Fragments, you body must have remembered. So until all of your Heart Fragments come back, the memories of your body will help you out, too, kupo."

Kairi picked up Mog in her hands. "Mog...Thank you," Kairi smiled, hugging Mog like a teddy bear.

Mog certainly liked being hugged by the lovable Princess. "Mog will kiss, too, kupo!" Mog said happily.

This certainly put a smile on Sora's face, seeing Kairi happy because of Mog's revelation. Even though he paid a hefty price of her memories of him, at least she was able to keep the memories of her body. Though his sacrifice was still painful, it wasn't as bad as he had thought of it, even if only a little.

"Sora, what will you do now?" asked the Princess.

"I have to meet up with Riku and the others," informed Sora, "We still have to go to Bevelle, but we also need to rescue Lenne."

"Whatever you do, please be careful, Sora," requested Kairi.

"I will, Princess," assured Sora.

Just then, two maids appeared at the doorway. "Miss Kairi, we've prepared a bath for you, as Lenne requested prior," informed Lenne's maid.

"Yay! A bath, kupo!" Mog cheered in joy, as he jumped into one of the maiden's arms. Kairi followed after Mog, and soon, she was being led out of the bedroom, and towards her bath. "Kairi, let's go together!" Mog said happily, "Bathing...bathing..." Mog sang.

Sora waved towards Kairi, as he headed out of Lenne's mansion to meet up with Lenne's sergeant to go over their next battle plan. Not only to rescue Lenne from Bevelle, but to retrieve Kairi's Heart Fragment as well. Sora could only hope that Lenne was perfectly fine.

* * *

Lenne continued to watch the scene from her viewing sphere. After seeing Mog tell Kairi everything about the heart and body memories, the image on her viewing sphere disappeared from Lenne's sight.

"I can tell that Kairi is deeply worried about Sora," Lenne noted to herself, "Yet, Sora is very rash in his desire. He doesn't care how much injuries he suffers. That, in turn, is what makes Kairi worry so much. However, that only proves that those with strong desires care less about themselves, until their desires are achieved. This is what makes Sora strong. Though, it must be hard for the one watching, considering that Sora is..." Lenne remained silent for a few moments. "If Sora's friends haven't noticed, then there's no need to tell them what Sora really is. Am I right, sorceress?"

Lenne's viewing sphere then had another image. An image of Lulu, appearing before her. "You are correct," replied Lulu.

"Have you received it?" asked Lulu.

Lulu lifted up a few flowers to Lenne's view. These were the same flowers that Mog had taken with Lenne's permission. "Yes. A rare flower that has not been seen here in my world, as your sacrifice."

"I asked for a very difficult favor," said Lenne.

"Not at all," assured Lulu, "If it hadn't been for you, we would have been too late. I had Mog do a forced transfer and dropped these children into your world. That was your wish, after all. And thanks to that, that man's plans ended the transferring to different worlds." Lenne knew full well who Lulu was speaking of. Lulu had informed Lenne of this man's plans. "And now, that man's control is broken," said Lulu.

"But there are a lot of restrictions that bind you down, right, Miss Lulu?" asked Lenne. "You are only able to move through the wishes people ask of you."

"Yet, without restrictions, things will only lead to ultimate destruction," reminded Lulu, "I can't allow that man to have his way. Lady Lenne, the sacrifice for your wish is too great." Lenne made no surprised reaction. It was as if she was fully aware of how much the wish would cost. Though, the question is, what is her wish and the sacrifice? "That is why...the rest is...up to you," concluded Lulu.

* * *

Later, Sora met up with Riku, Donald, Goofy, Lenne's sergeant, as well as his other soldiers, to go over their next plan to free Lenne from Bevelle. They were in a war room, in a different sector of Zanarkand. The war room was filled with a variety of technology: computers, scanners, holographic maps, anything one could think of. The war room was one of the tallest buildings in Zanarkand, which gave the staff a beautiful view of the city.

"We are planning to have a diversionary squad to attack the main enemy complex that we encountered there," Lenne's sergeant explained to Sora and his friends, as he pointed to the location they were previously at, "While the enemies are too busy with our soldiers, we will sneak in here." The sergeant pointed to a mountain, which zoomed into view. "This is a defenseless point. No one should be able to guard that sector."

"I understand," Sora agreed.

"This will surely be a tough job," commented Goofy.

"I wouldn't worry too much," said Riku, "We get in, we get out, enough said, right?"

Suddenly, Sora felt intense sharp pain in his blind right eye, once again. It was worst than before. So worst, that Sora knelt to the ground in pain, causing his friends to be alert and concerned for the Keyblade master.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Donald, "Are you okay?"

Sora staggered as he regained his stance, while clutching his painful eye. "Yes, I'm fine," replied Sora.

However, when Sora looked up to the view of Zanarkand, with one hand over his right eye, he saw something that caused him to go wide-eye. He recognized the reflection on the window. It was the same image he saw in his dream, when he first arrived in Luca. Why did this boy look familiar? Where did he see this person before? Just who is this person? _**Who...are you?**_

* * *

Later that night, Sora left for the battlefield with the Zanarkand soldiers. Kairi stayed behind with Mog and Pluto, for obvious safety reasons. However, it was only natural of Kairi to worry about her friend's well-being. Kairi was also concerned about whether or not Riku and the others were around as well. It has been a few days that they haven't seen from the rest of the party. For Kairi, there was nothing more she could do, but to believe in Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy. Deciding to put her worries to rest, Kairi decided to turn in for the night and get some sleep. As she fell asleep, Mog lied himself down next to Kairi, sleeping peacefully next to her and keeping her company. Pluto waited for Mog and Kairi to fall asleep, before he himself drifted off into slumber as well.

Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy as well as a large batallion of Zanarkand soldiers, led by Lenne's sergeant, had entered their previous battlefield, where they lost not only the battle, but Lenne, as well. Already, the soldiers are already losing their courage, since Lenne was their inspiration. It was Lenne's beauty and bravery that kept these men going. And now that she was gone, the soldiers were slowly losing their confidence.

"Focus, men!" the sergeant commanded sternly, "This is for our Lady Lenne. We must do everything we can to rescue her. I want you all to fight with all your might, the best you can. And I swear to you, your sacrifices will not be in vain." With deep breaths, the soldiers began to regain their composure, and their courage has been rebuilt, if only for a little bit. "Are you all ready?" asked the sergeant.

"Yes, sir," nodded Sora.

"Just give us the word..." prompted Riku.

"Let's be careful out there, guys," cautioned Goofy.

* * *

In the Bevelle prison, Lenne was sleeping in her cell, the best that she can. The prison cells wera not a luxurious place, but it was not in Lenne's place to complain about the living conditions of her cell. While she was sleeping, the sound of heavy boots echoed through the dark hallway. The sounds were enough to wake up Lenne from her sleeping. Rubbing her eyes, she saw a Bevelle soldier approaching her cell door, while moving a cart full of prison grub.

"Dinner time, woman," announced the Bevelle soldier as he slipped the low-quality food into her prison cell.

The Bevelle soldier then approached Shuyin's cell. The Bevelle soldier peered into Shuyin's cell, only to see that the blond warrior was sound asleep. Even his heavy boots haven't woken him up. Shrugging it off, the Bevelle soldier turned around to get the prison grub for Shuyin. Then, without warning, while the soldier was getting the food, two hands were suddenly in his view and grabbed him by his head. With full force, the soldier was slammed into the prison bars, head first, effectively knocking the guard out cold. Lenne was on alert when she saw the guard knocked out and leaned into the prison bars as much as she could to see what happened.

Shuyin then searched his unconscious body for the keys, which he managed to find. Shuyin freed himself from his confinement and approached his girlfriend's cell.

"Shuyin, are you all right?" asked the concerned Lenne.

"Don't worry, my love. I'm fine," replied Shuyin, "I want to release you, but I must keep you here for a while. You will be safe here."

"But, where will you go?" Lenne asked, not understanding Shuyin's actions.

"I'm going to end this war," answered Shuyin, "They have an enormous weapon sheltered here, with enough power to destroy an entire city: Vegnagun, the ultimate machina weapon."

Lenne was shocked by Shuyin's revelation. She had never heard of this Vegnagun, but she was more shocked about how Shuyin revealed how powerful it was. To have enough power to destroy Zanarkand, or even Bevelle, was not just unbelievable, it was complete insanity.

"But, what are you going to do with Vegnagun?" asked Lenne.

"........I'm going to use it...against them..." Shuyin replied, after a moment of silence.

Lenne was now shocked by Shuyin's ultimate decision. "No!" Lenne protested, "You can't! You will be destroying innocent lives, as well!"

"......I have no choice, Lenne," Shuyin said with regret in his voice, "If I don't end this war, then I will surely lose you. I don't want that. I'm going to take matters into my own hands, Lenne." Shuyin pulled Lenne into a kiss, embracing it as if it would be his last one. Shuyin broke the kiss and turned around, with his back facing towards Lenne. "I'll come back for you, Lenne. Just wait here." Shuyin then ran off into the dark hallway, ignoring the shouts of other prisoners, as they yelled at him to free them from their prison. However, their well-beings were of no concern to him, only Lenne's.

"Shuyin! Don't go!" Lenne cried out, as she reached out towards her boyfriend in vain. _**Shuyin...please...I don't want you to be a murderer...**_ Lenne desperately looked around for a way to get herself out of her prison. She had to stop Shuyin from making the greatest, if not the worst, mistake ever.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Bevelle military camp, just on the plains, everything was all quiet. There were no signs of the enemy in sight. Most of the soldiers were either lingering about, playing card games or brain games against their friends, or patrolling the campsite for any sign of intruders.

As the patrol was in progress, one of the soldiers looked up. His eyes widened in shock. He saw a gigantic iceberg dropping down on his position. The patrolman was lucky enough to dive out of the way, to avoid being crushed by the ice magic.

"AMBUSH!!" yelled the patrolman.

The Bevelle soldiers immediately took up arms and began opening fire against the Zanarkand soldiers. The summoners summoned their magical aeons to wipe out try to wipe out a large number the best that they can. However, the summoners didn't necessarily have to destroy the campsite. This was, after all, a cover fire.

* * *

Sora and his friends and Lenne's sergeant, along with a few select soldiers, used the attack as a cover, to sneak past the campsite. Now that the Bevelle soldiers have turned their attention to the Zanarkand soldiers, it was the best chance for them to sneak into their homeworld.

"My guess is that Lady Lenne is being held in the lower levels of the main headquarters," the sergeant hypothesized, "Our schematics have shown that there is a sewer passage that will lead us directly to the sewer cells."

"I wouldn't count on it easily," Riku said, looking away from the group.

The group looked in Riku's direction, and they realized what Riku meant by that. As if on cue, a large group of Heartless materialized from out of nowhere before the group. The group got their respective weapons drawn, ready to fight off these dark fiends. Thankfully, with the help of Riku, Donald, and Goofy, Sora was able to repel the Heartless easily than the last time. It was just like how it was when they were all together.

"We must hurry!" advised the sergeant, "Those things might be after Lenne as well!"

"Lead the way, sergeant!" exclaimed Sora.

"We'll make sure those Heartless don't lay a hand on her," vowed Donald.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shuyin stumbled onto a dark, hollow chamber. In this chamber, there were symbols carved around the place. Particularly, in the middle of this chamber, there was a metallic-like creature in the middle of this enormous chamber.

"Come, Vegnagun," Shuyin said to this gigantic weapon, "Let us purge this repulsive world!"

Shuyin walked towards the gigantic machina weapon and climbed onto it. As he rose to the top of the weapon, he found a seat, which stood in front of what seemed to be a piano organ. Shuyin was fully aware of the secrets of Vegnagun, after all, he has infiltrated behind enemy lines, gathering information about Vegnagun. Despite Lenne's warnings about using Vegnagun as a weapon of mass destruction, Shuyin carried out his ultimate plans: to wipe out the ones who are fighting the war, so that Lenne will never have to die needlessly.

Shuyin got into the seat and began to prepared himself to make the final move. Shuyin slammed his fingers into the right keys, starting off this dark melody...

* * *

Within the prison cells of Bevelle, Lenne searched frantically for a key. As she continued to search, she began hearing something that sounded like music. However, this music held a dark theme to it. It sounded so beautiful, yet it was full of darkness. Lenne began to realize that Shuyin was already getting started on awakening Vegnagun. Lenne continued to search desperately for a key to her cell. She had to get to Shuyin. She had to stop him from killing thousands people, guilty or innocent.

As she continued searching, the sound of running footsteps echoed through the hallway. Lenne approached her bars and tried to look to see who was approaching. Much to her surprise, she found two familiar faces appearing before her, along with some new faces.

"Sora! Sergeat!" Lenne exclaimed in relief.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Lady Lenne," the sergeant sighed in relief.

"We'll have you out in a jiffy," Goofy announced, as he tried to get her cell door open. Goofy tried to open the door, even going so far as to plant his feet up on the cell door and pulling some more, until his grip loosened and he fell back on the ground.

"I'll do it," Donald stepped up after having seen enough of Goofy's tries. Donald used his magic to magically unlock Lenne's cell door. "There we go!"

"Thank you, kind sir," said Lenne. Lenne finally stepped out of her cell door.

"We must leave, my lady," advised the sergeant, "The guards will be here any moment."

"No, we must get to Shuyin," commanded Lenne.

"Shuyin? Your boyfriend?" asked the surprised Sora.

"What is Sir Shuyin doing here?" asked the sergeant.

"He has gained access to a gigantic machina weapon, with enough power to wipe out an entire city!" explained Lenne, "If we don't stop him now, millions of lives will be lost!" The group heard more of that dark-themed music, coming from another direction. "That has to be him, let's go!" Lenne began to lead the group to the direction of where the dark music was coming from, only for Lenne to stop midway. "Sergeant, I have one last request from you."

"What do you mean 'last?'" asked the confused sergeant.

"No matter what happens, make sure you live through this day," requested Lenne, "Understood?"

"Lady Lenne?" The sergeant was still confused about Lenne's behavior. Why was Lenne acting sad?

"Please, sergeant..." Lenne requested one more time.

"......Yes, my lady," the sergeant reluctantly.

With that said, Lenne continued to lead Sora, his friends, and her sergeant to where Shuyin was about to unleash his greatest, most insane plan of all.

_**I am going to fulfill my wish...**_

* * *

Back in Zanarkand, Kairi got up from bed, in the middle of the night, causing Mog and Pluto to wake up. Mog and Pluto were getting concerned as to why Kairi would get up. The look on Kairi's face showed that something was catching her attention.

"Kairi?" Mog tried to catch the Princess's attention.

Pluto approached Kairi, and placed his chin up on Kairi's lap, hoping to get Kairi's attention, but to no avail.

Soon, Kairi, Pluto, and Mog began to glow a mysterious light...

* * *

Shuyin continued to play the haunting theme of Vegnagun. Soon, the symbols that surrounded the entire chamber began to glow, indicating that Vegnagun itself was powering up. Then, Vegnagun opened its "mouth," showing a large cannon, which is most likely the structure that will be responsible for the ultimate destruction of countless lives. As Shuyin continued to play the piano organ, thoughts of Lenne flashed through his mind. This proved that he had dedicated his entire life to his one true love, and he was willing to sacrifice so many lives in order to save her from the life of war.

However, as he continued to play, the sound of a woman's voice interrupted him.

"You must stop!" Lenne yelled to Shuyin, holding her arms out. Shuyin turned around and saw Lenne and her friends standing before him. "That's enough!"

"Sora, look!" Goofy pointed out towards Vegnagun's mouth.

Sora looked towards Vegnagun's mouth. As Vegnagun was powering up, something began to emerge from its mouth. Sora was surprised to see the very thing that he had been searching for. "It's the Heart Fragment!"

"Please, Shuyin! You don't have to do this!" pleaded Lenne.

"Uh-oh! We've got company!" Donald exclaimed, as he turned around to see a batallion Bevelle soldiers running towards them, armed with their standard issue rifles.

"They're activating Vegnagun! Stop them!!" ordered the leading Bevelle soldier, as he continued to charge towards Sora and his friends.

Sora and his friends have nowhere to run. These Bevelle soldiers are the only things standing between them and Kairi's Heart Fragment...

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

**A/N: I don't mind you guys saying this chapter was lame, because I honestly don't think I did a good job on this one, since I rushed it. But I guarantee that the next chapter will greater. Good news: my fall semester is completely finished. I have nothing to worry about until the spring semester. So basically, I can concentrate on my fics for the time being.**

**Oh, and stay tuned, because I have a Christmas gift for all of you guys coming up soon, and this gift is actually supposed to be one of the chapters of this fic! Don't worry, I'll have it up before Christmas. **


	29. 1000 Words

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**Lenne began to lead the group to the direction of where the dark music was coming from, only for Lenne to stop midway. "Sergeant, I have one last request from you."**

**"What do you mean 'last?'" asked the confused sergeant.**

**"No matter what happens, make sure you live through this day," requested Lenne, "Understood?"**

**"Lady Lenne?" The sergeant was still confused about Lenne's behavior. Why was Lenne acting sad?**

**"Please, sergeant..." Lenne requested one more time.**

**"......Yes, my lady," the sergeant reluctantly.**

**With that said, Lenne continued to lead Sora, his friends, and her sergeant to where Shuyin was about to unleash his greatest, most insane plan of all.**

**_I am going to fulfill my wish..._**

* * *

**Shuyin continued to play the haunting theme of Vegnagun. Soon, the symbols that surrounded the entire chamber began to glow, indicating that Vegnagun itself was powering up. Then, Vegnagun opened its "mouth," showing a large cannon, which is most likely the structure that will be responsible for the ultimate destruction of countless lives. As Shuyin continued to play the piano organ, thoughts of Lenne flashed through his mind. This proved that he had dedicated his entire life to his one true love, and he was willing to sacrifice so many lives in order to save her from the life of war.**

**However, as he continued to play, the sound of a woman's voice interrupted him.**

**"You must stop!" Lenne yelled to Shuyin, holding her arms out. Shuyin turned around and saw Lenne and her friends standing before him. "That's enough!"**

**"Sora, look!" Goofy pointed out towards Vegnagun's mouth.**

**Sora looked towards Vegnagun's mouth. As Vegnagun was powering up, something began to emerge from its mouth. Sora was surprised to see the very thing that he had been searching for. "It's the Heart Fragment!"**

**"Please, Shuyin! You don't have to do this!" pleaded Lenne.**

**"Uh-oh! We've got company!" Donald exclaimed, as he turned around to see a batallion Bevelle soldiers running towards them, armed with their standard issue rifles.**

**"They're activating Vegnagun! Stop them!!" ordered the leading Bevelle soldier, as he continued to charge towards Sora and his friends.**

**Sora and his friends have nowhere to run. These Bevelle soldiers are the only things standing between them and Kairi's Heart Fragment...**

* * *

_**Chapter 29: 1000 Words**_

* * *

Kairi's body continued to glow with a mysterious light, along with Mog and Pluto. The three of them were confused as to what was happening with them. Kairi held onto Pluto for safety, while Pluto was ready to defend Kairi, with Mog standing on top of his head.

"What's happening?" asked the confused Kairi.

"Kairi, I can feel the Heart Fragment, kupo," informed Mog, "The presence is getting stronger."

"Where?" asked Kairi.

"I don't know, but...I think we're about to go there..." replied Mog.

Then, for unknown reasons, Kairi, Pluto, and Mog began to float in mid-air, while they continued to glow. Their bodies glowed brightly, until, when the brightness faded, there was nothing left in the bedroom...

* * *

Sora and his friends gripped their weapons tightly in their hands, ready to face off against the Bevelle firing squad. However, with their close-range weapons against their long-range weapons, Sora and his friends weren't sure they were going to make it out of this unscathed.

"This doesn't look good, you guys," Goofy began to show signs of panic behind his shield.

"Steady, soldier," the sergeant commanded sternly.

As the Bevelle firing squad got themselves ready to fire at will, Shuyin jumped down from Vegnagun and both he and Lenne ran into each other's arms.

"Lenne, what are you doing here!?" asked the surprised Shuyin, "I didn't want you to come here!"

"But, Shuyin, what you are doing is wrong, and you know it," Lenne convinced Shuyin, "I don't want you to be a murderer, just to save me. You will only become a monster, and that's someone that I will never love. Please, Shuyin, don't do this."

"Lenne..." Shuyin was shocked to see how much this would affect Lenne. He knew how much Lenne loved him, but to tell him that he was about to cross the line that he was never meant to cross was enough to convince him to stop with his plans of using Vegnagun. Shuyin looked up to see the Bevelle soldiers loading their rifles. He could only glare at them in anger, as they were willing to shoot them down, despite the fact that Shuyin had stopped his plans and that they were unarmed.

As Sora and the others were about to fight back against the Bevelle firing squad, Lenne raised her hand towards everyone. "Stop!" Suddenly, without warning, a clock appeared in the background, and it showed the clock literally stopping. Soon, everything around them stood still, except for Sora.

"What just happened?" Sora asked as he looked around.

"I just stopped time," replied Lenne.

Sora continued to look around the stopped place, until the sound of someone appearing behind surprised everyone. Sora turned around and he was surprised to see who had appeared.

"Princess? Pluto? Mog? What are you all doing here?" asked the surprised Sora.

"Mog doesn't know. We were floating, and then all of a sudden, we were here, kupo," Mog explained. Pluto barked towards Sora in agreement.

"Mog said that there was a Heart Fragment somewhere," Kairi informed Sora, "He said that we were going to show up here."

"Sora, Kairi, please come here," Lenne requested, moving away from the time-frozen Shuyin. Sora and Kairi did as the summoner had requested. Kairi placed Mog with Pluto, before approaching Lenne.

"What is it, Lenne?" asked Sora.

"You know of Shuyin's plans," said Lenne, "Shuyin wanted to use Vegnagun, in hopes of ending this war that we have fought for so long. Before this whole war started, Shuyin was once a famous blitzball player, as I was a famous singer. As time went by, we become lovers. Though we had dedicated our lives to our respective careers, our hearts were dedicated to each other," Lenne recalled, "But one day, Bevelle had declared war on us, in hopes of expanding their own territory. Zanarkand answered back, by taking up arms. Shuyin and I were enlisted into the military service, because of our power. However, I was selected to the front lines, because I was considered the most powerful summoner Zanarkand has. Because of my position, Zanarkand's soldiers saw me as a shining hope for peace to come, despite how powerless we were against Bevelle. But Shuyin was far from being proud of me. He was disgusted with the fact that I was sent to the front lines, where there were greater chances that I would lose my life. He decided he was going to take matters into his own hands..."

After hearing this story, Kairi began to remember something that resembled it. "I saw it in a dream..." Kairi recalled, catching Sora's attention, "Only...it wasn't a dream..."

* * *

_"What are you doing here?" asked Lenne._

_The figure provided no answer. The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself before Lenne. Lenne was surprised to see Shuyin there. "What is it, Shuyin?"_

_"Lenne, I know about your position in this war," confessed Shuyin, "I can't accept that."_

_"But Shuyin..." Lenne tried to reason out._

_"No, Lenne," Shuyin protested calmly, "Your position isn't safe. You could lose your very life. And I can't imagine a life worth living without you."_

_"Shuyin..." Lenne said._

_Shuyin then took Lenne's hands in his and pulled himself closer to his lover. "That's why, I'm going to end this war. By myself, if I have to."_

_"But, how will you do that?" asked Lenne._

_"There is something in Bevelle that can end this war," explained Shuyin, "I'm going to travel there, and use it to cease this useless fighting. I'm not doing this for Zanarkand's sake...but for yours..." Lenne saw how dedicated his love for her was. "If I don't come back...know...that I love you." Shuyin and Lenne then closed their eyes and leaned in towards each other, pressing their lips together. They stayed like this for a long time, as if this were going to be the last thing of happiness they would have._

* * *

"Shuyin was going to use Vegnagun, the only weapon capable enough to ending this war quickly," Lenne continued, "But if he went through with it, Vegnagun would not only end this war, but countless lives will be sacrificed. Shuyin was willing to carry the burden of becoming a mass murderer, in order to save me from falling in the battlefield, which he constantly feared, ever since we received our positions in the military service." Lenne looked up to see the Heart Fragment floating in the air, after emerging from the cannon of Vegnagun's mouth. "Vegnagun's power, combined with the power of that object of light, would have been enough to destroy not just lives, but homes as well." Lenne held her head down in sorrow and placed her hand on her heart. "To be honest, I really didn't care about this war. I didn't care about achieving victory, by defeating my enemies. All I cared about was Shuyin and nothing more. ......Just being with Shuyin is enough for me."

Sora and Kairi now knew the truth behind Lenne's secret sadness. This war was actually tearing apart Shuyin and Lenne not from the outside, but on the inside. Shuyin wanted to save his one true love, knowing full well that he was going to live the life of a killer. However, Lenne's happiness will only shine just being with Shuyin, but her military duties were what forbade her from having that happiness.

The Heart Fragment levitated itself towards Lenne's open hand. "Is this the very thing that you have been searching for?" Lenne asked Sora.

"Yes...it is," replied Sora.

"Then, I shall return it to you." Lenne presented the Heart Fragment towards Sora and Kairi, which levitated into Kairi's open hands. Sora and Kairi expressed their gratitude to Lenne. Thanks to Lenne's kind heart, Sora and Kairi were able to retrieve yet another Heart Fragment. "Has your wish been granted?" Sora nodded in response. "Then...it's time..." Lenne then used her magic to open a portal from under Sora, Kairi, and their time-frozen friends, as well as her sergeant, much to the surprise of Sora and Kairi. "It's time......I had my wish granted, too..."

When Sora heard Lenne say something about a wish, Sora then realized what Lenne was talking about. "You don't mean...!" Soon, Sora and his friends were falling through the portal. Sora tried to keep himself afloat, along with Kairi, but they were ultimately powerless against the magic. Kairi tightly clung onto Sora for safety, before she fell into the portal.

"Sora...don't give up everything, or it will all be for nothing. Hold onto your wish, and continue to grow stronger...no matter who you are, even if someone forces you. Stay true to your wish...your _real_ wish..." Lenne waved her final goodbye.

"Lenne, wait!" Sora yelled, before he fell into the portal along with the rest of his friends.

Lenne returned to Shuyin's arms, and she used her magic to resume time once again...

* * *

Sora and his friends, and Lenne's sergeant fell from the sky. Time resumed for Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Lenne's sergeant as soon as they emerged from the portal. Like always, Donald would land on the ground first, followed by Goofy, Riku, Sora, and finally Kairi, who landed on her rear on top of Sora.

"What happened?" asked the confused Goofy as he looked around.

"How did we get here? I thought we were at Vegnagun's lair," said Donald.

"You don't think Lenne forced us here, do you?" Riku hypothesized.

"Princess, are you okay?" asked Sora.

"Don't worry, I'm okay," replied Kairi.

"That was a fun ride, kupo!" Mog said happily, as he hopped onto Pluto's head.

The group got up from the ground and dusted themselves off.

"We must go back!" The sergeant tried to ran back into the main headquarters, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder, which held him back. The sergeant looked back to see Sora being the one who was holding him back. "Let me go, boy! Lady Lenne is in danger!" the sergeant ordered.

Sora continued to hold him back, keeping a firm grip this time and shook his head sadly. Sora looked at the sergeant sadly, because he knew what was going to happen next. "Lenne...has made up her mind..."

"What?" The sergeant puzzled by Sora's statement.

"She's doing what her heart is telling her," Sora explained sorrowfully.

"......You don't mean..." The sergeant couldn't believe what this meant.

* * *

As time resumed back at Vegnagun's lair, the Bevelle firing squad looked around and noticed that Sora and his friends are nowhere to be seen.

"Sir, where are the others?" asked the confused soldier.

"Forget about them, these two are the ones we're after," the commander ordered, "Take aim!"

Shuyin and Lenne held each other tightly as they watched the Bevelle soldiers aiming their rifles towards them. Shuyin and Lenne knew this was it.

Shuyin and Lenne stared into each other's eyes with great sadness. They had been away from each other for so long, and this was going to be the last time they would ever embrace each other. However, Lenne's sad expression, gradually dissolved to being glad. Lenne showed Shuyin that she had no regrets.

_**Just being with you...is enough...**_

After a moment of silence with Shuyin and Lenne, the sound of thunder echoed through the lair of Vegnagun. Shuyin and Lenne were thrown back by the thunderous sound, and their bodies landed hard on the metal floor. As Shuyin and Lenne lied on the ground, fatally wounded, Shuyin weakly tried to reach for Lenne's hand. Shuyin wanted to at least hold Lenne's hand, but his wounded body said otherwise. Tears of sadness appeared in Lenne's eyes, as she had to watch her love die in front of her. Shuyin's hand began to lose its life, and before long, Shuyin's eyes closed slowly...for good.

Lenne closed her eyes in sadness, letting her tears fall from her eyes. She then looked upwards, and began to speak softly, though badly wounded. "Can you hear me...Sorceress?" Lenne asked quietly.

**Yes, I can hear you.**

"I must...confess... If it wasn't for......Sora and Kairi.....I would never have been...able to......make my...decision..." Lenne said weakly, "

* * *

Back in Lulu's world, Lulu was watching the whole thing through a handheld viewing sphere, just like the one Lenne had in her prison cell.

"There...is a favor......I must ask of you..." Lenne said weakly.

"You realize there is a sacrifice required," reminded Lulu.

"Yes...I know..." Lenne nodded weakly.

"What is your wish?" asked Lulu.

"Please......make me and Shuyin......be remembered...for future generations......" Lenne requested weakly.

"Why do you ask that?" questioned Lulu.

"Because...our love......is proof that love...is stronger...than hate..." replied Lulu, "That way...everyone......can build...a greater future......where there is...no war...but harmony... Everyone......can work togther......and the children......can run free......without having to worry......about a dark...future... Without war......everyone......can look......to a.......brighter future....... I want our love.......to be...a symbol of peace over Spira."

As Lenne breathed her last, Lenne's eyes closed slowly...and finally...Lenne, the famous singer of Zanarkand, was no more.

* * *

All things were quiet. Sora and the others knew in their hearts of hearts of what happened. They all held a sad expression on their faces, while Lenne's sergeant wept for his fallen leader.

"...My lady..." the sergeant sobbed.

As the group mourned for Lenne, the sound of humming came from Kairi's Heart Fragment, which began to enter the Princess's body. Kairi fainted from having her Heart Fragment returned to her and she was about to collapse after having the sudden return of her heart and her memories. Sora quickly caught her and gently lowered her to the ground, allowing Kairi to rest.

Then, Mog's body began to glow the same brilliant light he always glowed before departing from a world. Mog then grew gigantic wings of light, causing magical light to be emitted around Sora and his party. The sergeant was surprised to see this kind of magic coming from Sora and his friends.

Sora carried the sleeping Kairi in his arms as they were about to depart from this world. "If you find Shuyin and Lenne's bodies, please make sure to give them a proper burial, somewhere away from the war," Sora requested from the sergeant.

"Sora..." the sergeant was touched by Sora's request.

"Please...for Lenne..." Sora requested again.

"...I understand," the sergeant nodded.

Sora and his party were engulfed with the light. The party then disappeared in the light, vanishing before the sergeant's eyes.

* * *

Sora arrived with the sleeping Kairi in his arms, along with the rest of his party members. Sora looked at his surroundings at this world.

"Is this the new world?" Sora asked himself.

"Not at all." Sora turned to Riku. "Looks like we're back where we started."

"You mean...you were here, too?" asked Sora.

"Well, we weren't able to find you in this world either," explained Goofy.

"No thanks to that dumb plush toy," Donald grumbled as he crossed his arms and began tapping his foot.

"Mog isn't a plush toy, kupo!" Mog complained.

Kairi began to come around, and she found herself in Sora's arms. "Welcome back, Princess," Sora greeted politely.

"Where are we?" asked the groggy Princess.

"We're back in Luca," replied Sora.

"Sora! Kairi!"

Sora and Kairi turned around and were surprised to see who was running towards them. It was Linda, the leader of the Linda Troupe, and a member of the Youth League.

"Where have you two been? I've been looking everywhere for you two!" exclaimed Linda.

"Sorry, we don't know what happened." It wasn't in Sora's nature to lie to people, but considering what happened back at Bevelle, Linda would most likely not believe them.

"You look like you've been tired," Kairi noted, "Is everything okay?"

"No. In fact, it's worst," replied Linda, "The Youth League and the New Yevon are about to tear each other apart. It's a total riot out here!"

"If things keep going, we're bound to see heads flying," Riku added in.

"There's gotta be a way to end all this, or they'll end up like the guys back at Zanarkand," realized Goofy.

"But what should we do?" wondered Donald.

Sora and his friends were trying to think of a solution. They knew if things were to go too far, these two political groups will end up waging war against each other, just like Zanarkand and Bevelle. Suddenly, Kairi began to hear the voice of a young woman. Surprisingly, this voice sounded very familiar.

**Kairi, with your help, Spira will find peace again. I can help you...**

Kairi got up from Sora's arms, as if she were possessed, confusing Sora. "Linda, is there a way we can gather everyone in one place?" asked Kairi.

"Why do you ask?" asked Linda.

"Because we must show everyone that we can all work together to create a greater future," replied Kairi, "But we need something that can help us."

"What do you need?" Linda was eager to know how to end all this.

The group gathered around to hear what Kairi's plan is. Sora, on the other hand, was surprised to hear this. This was unusual of Kairi...unless this could also be part of Kairi's mysterious powers...

* * *

In the Luca stadium, where there is usually a blitzball game, the main stage was set up for a musical setting. The audience had one half of the people supporting the Youth League, while the other half was the New Yevon. If it weren't for the security and the local authorities, the entire Luca stadium would be destroyed by a full-scale riot. However, the two political parties still showed much hatred against one another, showing their desire to tear each other part.

On the stage, Sora and the boys were helping by setting up the necessary technologies that they were given, thanks to the help from Linda, who was given free access, considering her position in the Linda Troupe.

Kairi, held a microphone in her hand, as she watched her friends setting everything up for her. Sora gave her the thumbs up, telling her that the microphone is up and running. Donald and Goofy signaled Kairi that machines were good to go. Riku then nodded to Kairi that everything was all set.

Sora placed a comforting hand on Kairi's shoulder. "We'll be right behind you, Princess."

"Thank you, Sora," Kairi nodded.

Kairi took a deep breath as she saw countless people looking down on her, watching her intently. But the voice in her head continued to encourage her.

**It is time...**

Kairi took the microphone in hand and pointed it towards her mouth. "One thousand years ago, Spira was torn in two, divided by a terrible war. This was Spira's greatest mistake. Then, a certain catastrophe was born out of that rift. In only two short years, Spira has shaken off its unhappy past. We have moved on. Now, Spira grows brighter with each passing day. That light is our strength. I don't want to see it fade. Do you? There are so many of us, each with different ideas and different beliefs. Of course we sometimes disagree, and arguments will happen. But our hearts can and should always be one."

Soon, during Kairi's speech, everyone began to hear the voice of a young woman, merging with Kairi's, surprising Sora and his friends.

"Believe with me," Kairi continued. **(Believe with me.)**

"Even if we are torn apart, our feelings will unite us. That is what this song is about," Kairi finished.

**Even if we are torn apart, our feelings will unite us. That is what this song is about.**

The crowd continued to watch Kairi intently, wondering what it was this Princess was going to do. Sora and his friends continued to show their support, as they stood behind Kairi, not moving an inch.

Soon, the music began to play. The melody the song was playing held a sad tone within it.

**I know that you're hiding things  
Using gentle words to shelter me  
Your words were like a dream  
But dreams could never fool me  
Not that easily...**

**I acted so distant then  
Didn't say goodbye before you left  
But I was listening  
You'll fight your battles far from me  
Far too easily...**

Everyone was captivated by the song. Soon, everyone had forgotten that their opponents existed, concentrating on the message this song was carrying. Sora and his friends were surprised that Kairi could sing this well. It was like she was someone else...

As the song continued, the machines that Donald and Goofy set up showed a holographic projection of Zanarkand everywhere, into the crowd, in order to show what Zanarkand used to be. A peaceful city full of machina.

**"Save your tears 'cause I'll come back"  
I can hear that your whispered as you walked through that door  
But still I swore to hide the pain when I turn back the pages  
Shouting might have been the answer  
What if I'd cried my eyes and begged you not to depart?  
But now I'm not afraid to say what's in my heart**

Soon, the holographic images began to dissolve, and the next scene shifted to location of the Vegnagun lair, where Shuyin was about to make preparations. As Kairi continued to sing the song, a ghostly image of Lenne showed up next to Kairi, with a microphone at hand, surprising many onlookers, especially Linda, who was shocked to see the image of Lenne standing before her. Sora then realized that Lenne was really behind this. Could this be part of the wish she had made?

**Though a thousand words  
Have never been spoken  
They'll fly to you  
Crossing over the time and distance holding you  
Suspended on silver wings**

The crowd witnessed how Lenne stopped Shuyin from unleashing a weapon of mass destruction on the world. As Lenne stopped Shuyin from committing an act of mass murder, a small group of the Bevelle firing squad ran into the lair, with their rifles at hand.

Shuyin jumped down from the weapon and ran into Lenne, wrapping his arms around his love. Shuyin then glared at the Bevelle soldiers, who got into position, ready to open fire on the defenseless couple, regardless of their surrender.

**Oh a Thousand Words  
One Thousand Embraces  
Will Cradle You  
Making all of Your Weary Days Seem Far Away  
They'll Hold you Forever........ **

As the Bevelle soldiers took their aim, Shuyin and Lenne stared into each other's eyes with great sadness. They had been away from each other for so long, and this was going to be the last time they would ever embrace each other. However, Lenne's sad expression, gradually dissolved to being glad. Lenne showed Shuyin that she had no regrets.

After a moment of silence with Shuyin and Lenne, the sound of thunder echoed through the lair of Vegnagun. The lives of Shuyin and Lenne flashed before everyone's eyes. The entire crowd had witnessed how Shuyin and Lenne led a happy, peaceful life, before this whole war started. After seeing their flashbacks, Shuyin and Lenne were thrown back by the thunderous sound, and their bodies landed hard on the metal floor. The entire crowd was shocked to see what had happened, especially Sora and his friends. Not only had they witnessed the death of two innocent lives, but they had witnessed how these heartless soldiers ignored the love that Shuyin and Lenne shared and uncaringly tried to shatter that love. Seeing this scene was enough to make the crowd feel guilty about what they saw. They had realized that they were about to go down to that same path. Soon, these people will be as heartless as the soldiers they see before them.

As Shuyin and Lenne lied on the ground, fatally wounded, Shuyin weakly tried to reach for Lenne's hand. Shuyin wanted to at least hold Lenne's hand, but his wounded body said otherwise. Tears of sadness appeared in Lenne's eyes, as she had to watch her love die in front of her. Then, the image faded away, leaving only Kairi and the ghost of Lenne on the stage.

**Oh a Thousand Words (One Thousand Words)  
Have Never been spoken (Oh Yeah)  
They'll fly to you  
they'll carry you home (carry you home)  
Come back into my arms  
Suspended on Silver Wings (On Silver Wings)**

**And a thousand words (oohh)  
Called out through the ages (called through the ages)  
They'll cradle you (oh yeah)  
Making all of your lonely years to only days (only days)  
They'll hold you forever.........**

**Ohhhhhhhhhhh**

**One Thousand Words... **

The song ended, and many people were filled with tears. These tears were a mixture of sadness and guilt. Everyone had finally seen the error of their ways. They had finally realized that they were about to destroy peace with their own hands and wage war against each other, in the name of hatred.

As Kairi finished the song, she heard the voice of Lenne, one more time.

**Thank you...Kairi.**

The song and the images she had seen were enough to make Kairi burst into tears. Kairi was filled with so much emotion from the song and the images, that she fell to her knees, weeping quietly for friend, Lenne.

Sora walked up to Kairi and knelt beside her, rubbing her shoulders, trying to comfort her. Soon, Kairi wrapped her arms around Sora, seeking more comfort to help calm her sadness, to which Sora obliged willingly.

* * *

Hours have passed after Kairi's concert. The people of New Yevon and the Youth League had ceased fighting like they used to. Soon, the people from both groups began to shake each other's hands or give each other hugs that they had denied each other. It seemed like peace had once again been reborn anew.

Sora and his friends watched everyone get along. They especially saw Linda hugging someone from the New Yevon, Alex. Because of the new peace, Linda can now be with Alex. Linda saw Sora and the others watching them. Smiling at them, Linda could only mouth to them, "Thank you."

"You did good, Princess," Sora encouraged.

"I couldn't have done it without all of you," said Kairi turning to everyone, "Thank you, everyone."

"No need to thank us, Princess," Goofy spoke up, "You were just following your heart, that's all."

"And Lenne was there to guide you," Riku added in.

"So what happens now?" Donald wondered.

"I think everyone can handle the rest," Riku theorized, "The fighting stopped, so it looks like everyone can start over."

"Then, I guess it's time for us to leave, huh?" said Sora. Sora looked at the statue of Lenne that Linda had shown him. Sora realized what kind of wish Lenne had made. It was a wish of peace for the future generations.

Suddenly, without warning, Mog jumped into the air and opened his mouth wide. Mog began to inhale a large amount of air, and soon, Lenne's statue began to glow, until the statue turned into a ball of light, small enough to fit into the palm of your hand. The ball of light hovered towards Mog and into his mouth, before Mog closed his mouth.

"What happened, Mog?" asked Donald.

"It looks like Lenne made a wish, and she wanted to sacrifice her statue, kupo," replied Mog.

"But why would she want to do that?" wondered Goofy.

"Maybe...she knows that Spira can look after itself now that everyone is starting to get along," theorized Riku.

"......You know what? You're probably right, Riku," Sora agreed.

Sora and his friends turned to look at how the people of New Yevon and the Youth League are now starting to become friends. Nobody was fighting amongst themselves. There was no "New Yevon Rejects" or "Reckless Youth League." They were just simply people of different ideas being friends.

Mog began to glow in a brilliant light. "Mog Moogle is to go! Kupo!!" Mog howled. Mog then sprouted his wings of light, emitting a magic light around the party.

As the magic light was emitted around the party, Riku took Sora and Kairi's hands and placed them together. "Here, Sora," Riku said as he placed Sora's hand on Kairi's, "That way, you two won't get separated."

Sora was speechless as he was holding the Princess's hand. However, upon seeing Kairi, he noticed that she was smiling towards Sora. This, in turn, caused Sora to smile back to Kairi.

Then, without warning, Riku pulled Goofy and Donald into a big group hug, along with Sora and Kairi. "Hey, what's the big idea!?" Donald demanded to Riku.

"This is just so we don't get separated," explained Riku, as he held onto his friends.

The light energy began to slowly engulf the party, giving the party a few more seconds to see how happy everyone was until they disappeared. The scene was able to put a smile on Sora and Kairi's faces. They were certainly proud of what has transpired for these people.

Despite the party's separation, their bonds have not been broken. And thus, the journey continues...

* * *

Back in Lulu's world, the statue of Lenne magically appeared before Lulu.

"I have received the statue of Lenne," Lulu said to herself, "As a sacrifice for making Shuyin and Lenne's love a symbol of peace."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a dark world, Xemnas has seen what had transpired in Spira, now that he is able to view Sora and his companion's travels, once again.

"That sorceress...she not only has the power to control space," noted Xemnas, "But she also has the power to travel through time as well. She truly is a powerful sorceress."

"Is it possible she knows the powers that lie within those caverns?" asked Larxene.

"She is fully aware, just as Ansem The Wise," responded Xemnas, "He has been a thorn on my side for long, but now Ansem The Wise has long since passed from reality. Now, the only person that can interfere with my plans is that sorceress."

"So what is your next plan?" asked Larxene, "Is there nothing that you can do?"

"I've done all that I've can, though changes can arise, if given the chance," said Xemnas, "It is time to start making the next move now......"

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

**_

* * *

_Longer than I had planned, but it's all good. Now, I'm finally done with the Spira Arc. Now, it's time to get started on the future arcs... Stay tuned!  
**


	30. Mog, The Artist

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

Other world

* * *

Sora and his friends had finally arrived into a new world. Sora and his friends do not know what awaits them in this new world, but they could only hope it was not as bad as it was back in Spira. Sora and his friends took a good look at their surroundings. Everything was peaceful. However...there was something that was a bit off. Everything seemed to be black and white. Perhaps it was a natural order of this world?

"Looks like we arrived," Sora noted as he looked at his surroundings.

"This doesn't look like the world I've been to before," noted Riku.

"Gee, Donald, do ya think the King could be here?" pondered Goofy.

"Who knows?" replied Donald.

"This is an entirely different world," commented Kairi as she looked around the place.

When the entire party turned around to look at each other, they were shocked beyond their imagination. The party screamed in surprise, pointing at each other's new looks. Their bodies were black and white as well. Not just their lack of color, but their bodies have also gone through a different transformation. They looked like they were animated versions of an old cartoon of some kind.

"Princess...your appearance..." Sora was at a loss for words, upon seeing Kairi's different form.

"Even you, Sora," Kairi pointed at as well, seeing Sora's new body.

"Donald, you look weird," Goofy commented.

"Look who's talking," Donald shot back.

"This is...weird," Riku said as he took a look at his new form.

Pluto took a good look at his body and yelped in surprise. Even his yellow form is completely different.

Sora took a look at his hands. His body had undergone another transformation, but it was completely different from the time in Halloween Town. "What is......going on!?"

* * *

_**Chapter 30: Mog, The Artist**_

* * *

Sora and his friends went to the nearest place where their are signs of life. The party arrived at a local town, where there were tons of people wandering about. The people here are not like human beings. In fact, these people weren't human beings at all. They were actually humanoid versions of a variety of farm animals, cows, chickens, ducks, horses, and other forms of livestock.

"What an interesting world," Riku mused.

"What do you mean, Riku?" asked Goofy.

"Remember what Lulu said? We're probably like this because of the natural order this world has to maintain," theorized Riku.

"This is too weird," complained Donald, "Hey, Mog, tell us what's going on."

Donald waited for an answer from the moogle, only to hear nothing but silence. Donald looked around to see where Mog went, only to realize one thing. The party had not noticed it before, but they finally realized one thing missing.

"I thought the group a lot quieter than usual," noticed Riku.

"Where's Mog?" Kairi asked, looking around, followed by the rest.

* * *

In another world, Mog was sleeping peacefully on a cozy sofa. Mog was sleeping in a living room, complete with a lit fireplace, and a beautiful sun setting outside. Nothing seemed to be bothering the little moogle, as the room was all quiet. It was no wonder why Mog was sleeping comfortably.

However, as Mog continued to sleep peacefully, he had not noticed someone watching over him......

* * *

The party began looking for the tiny moogle. However, finding him was not exactly a walk-in-the-park. With Mog's size, he could be hidden anywhere. Mog would never go anywhere unsupervised, which was unusual to the group.

Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto had no success in finding Mog, even with Pluto's natural tracking skills.

Kairi opened up a garbage can, hoping to find Mog hiding inside, or at least having a little fun with the group, considering that Mog is like a little kid.

"Mog, are you in there?" Kairi called out as he peered into the garbage can.

"Did you find anything?" Sora asked as he walked up to Kairi.

Kairi shook her head in response. "He's not in here," responded Kairi.

"Last time, we landed separately back in Spira," recalled Sora, "Let's try over there," Sora pointed out.

Sora and Kairi continued onwards into an alleyway. As Sora and Kairi continued walking through the alley, Kairi began to speak up.

"Sora, I remembered there are mysterious caverns back in Destiny Islands," recalled Kairi.

"Mysterious caverns?" asked the puzzled Sora.

"I remembered because of the Fragment I got back from Spira," reminded Kairi, "From the palace, I can see the caverns on a neighboring island. Those caverns were always surrounded by a harsh rain, and sometimes, the entire island would shake. It was almost as if..."

Sora stopped in his tracks. He knew exactly what Kairi was talking about. It was the same place where everything began for them. "Almost as if those caverns were trying to be washed away, and thrashed about during that storm..." Sora said quietly, puzzling Kairi, "In truth, I've been in Destiny Islands before," Sora confessed, turning to Kairi.

"Really?" Kairi asked eagerly, "Where did you live?"

Sora was about to answer, but he immediately silenced himself. "I......" Sora wanted so much to answer Kairi, but he didn't want to be reminded of his sacrifice again......not like the last time...

* * *

_"When did you and I first meet, Sora?" Kairi asked, almost as if she really wanted to know. Sora wasn't sure how to answer her. Remembering his sacrifice, was it right for him to tell her the truth? "I've known you since we're were little, right?" Kairi asked again, "Not only that, but are you someone who is really so important to--"_

_Kairi suddenly gasped as she felt a shocking sensation in her mind, almost as if a small lightning bolt attacked her. Inside her mind, she saw a vague familiar image, before it was eventually washed away from her mind. The shocking sensation made Kairi lose her grip on the metal tray, letting it drop to the ground._

* * *

Silence took over between Sora and Kairi, as the Princess awaited the Keyblade master's response to her question. However, Kairi noticed that Sora was troubled by her question.

"Is something wrong?" asked Kairi.

"...No, it's nothing," Sora shook his head, "Let's go, Princess." Sora and Kairi walked off together, continuing their search for their missing Mog.

* * *

Mog slept and slept, until finally, Mog came around and found himself in another world. However, as Mog looked around, he realized that Sora and the others were nowhere to be found.

"Where am I, kupo?" Mog asked, "Sora! Kairi! Riku! Pluto! Goofy! Mr. Duck!" Mog hopped off of the sofa and began his search for his missing friends.

* * *

Sora and his friends were resting at a park, around the picnic area, resting after their walk. Suddenly, Donald sneezed. Donald was fully aware of this superstition.

"Where is that dumb plush toy?" Donald grumbled, "I bet he's talking behind my back."

"After we take a break, let's try again," Riku advised to the group.

* * *

Mog was at what appears to be a house. Mog flew around, looking for Sora and the others, until he finally stumbled onto what appears to be an office of some kind. The room had a lamp, a bed, and two couches. Inside this room, there was a desk. At the desk, Mog noticed something strange. There was a strange glow coming from the desk.

Mog went wide-eyed and approached the desk. As the moogle flew closer, he saw a familiar object that lied flat on the desk. There was a pen, with the glowing object embedded within.

"It's Kairi's Heart Fragment, kupo!" Mog cheered, "Mog found it by himself! Mog did a good thing, kupo!"

As Mog was about to pick up the pen, he noticed a piece of paper lying on the desk. On the paper, he noticed something strange about it. On the paper, there was a picture of his friends.

"Sora, Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto?" the confused Mog asked.

"That pen seems to have some mysterious power."

Mog jumped in surprise and turned around to find the source of the voice. Behind Mog, there was a man in a suit, showing a friendly smile towards the moogle.

"Who are you, kupo?" asked the slightly nervous Mog.

"I am a storyteller, little fella," replied the man in the suit.

"A storyteller, kupo?" asked Mog.

"Yes," the man nodded, "My job is to entertain people by writing and illustrating various stories. In a way, the story could resemble a world." Mog showed interest in this man's explanation of his job. Mog looked to his right and found a portrait of this man hanging on a wall. "As an author, I can freely control the world into just way I like it. Even time itself."

"You can control time, too?" asked Mog.

"Only inside the story, yes," replied the man.

"Wow! That's amazing, kupo!" Mog praised the man.

"Yes, indeed," the man smiled.

"But this glowing object is Kairi's Heart Fragment," Mog explained.

"Oh?" the man seemed intrigued.

"Sora has been working very hard to retrieve them, kupo," Mog continued to explain, "They're very precious. That's why, please let me take this Fragment back to Kairi, kupo."

The man observed how much the moogle wanted to give the Fragment back to Kairi, and nodded in agreement. "All right, little fella. But there's something we must do first." The man approached the desk and looked into the picture that Mog was looking at. "We have to find a way to save your friends inside there."

"You mean Sora and the others are...?" Mog asked.

"Whoever falls into the story of that world becomes part of the story," the man explained, "I'm guessing the world was drawn by that Fragment, and it drew in the owner of that Fragment, this Kairi girl."

"Is there a way we can get them out, kupo?" Mog asked.

The man picked up the glowing pen. "Using this pen, we must create a story where your friends can get out," the man predicted, "But to do that, you must have a strong heart that believes in them. That's why..." The man presented Mog with the glowing pen, puzzling the moogle. "From here on, it's up to you, little fella. You must draw the rest of the story. Your will of wanting to save them will make the pen move."

"Eh? I have to do it, kupo?" Mog was pretty unsure with himself as he held the glowing pen in his tiny paws.

* * *

Sora came back to the park, where Kairi, Riku, Goofy, and Pluto were taking a break. However, Sora was the one who looked like there was great trouble.

"Riku, come quick!" exclaimed the panicked Sora.

"What's up, Sora?" asked Riku.

"Donald's in trouble!" Sora pointed in a direction.

* * *

"Hey, what are you doing!?" Donald yelled. Apparently, Donald getting nibbled on by a gigantic flower creature, up to his waist. For some odd reason, this flower creature seemed to resemble Mog. "Let me go! Don't eat me!!" Donald's pleas landed on deaf ears at the flower continued to nibble on Donald and shaking him around.

Sora, Kairi, Goofy, and Pluto gave weird looks when they saw Donald being helplessly nibbled on.

"Ouch..." Riku mused.

Riku then looked at the residents and noticed how some of the objects around them seemed to have Mog's face. These objects having Mog's face also came with Mog's voice, and the party could hear indistinct messages from the moogle.

Above the party, they noticed a crop duster flying by and opening its hatch. However, instead of finding the chemicals they use for crops, tons of stuffed animals, resembling Mog, rained down on them, burying them.

* * *

"Oh, it wasn't supposed to be like this, kupo," said Mog, as he watched his disasterous drawing.

"The pen draws out exactly what is in your heart," explained the man, "So you have to be careful on what you are exactly thinking."

"So, it's pretty hard," Mog realized. Mog tried to think up of a better solution on how to get his friends out, until he found a better solution. "Hey, is there a way Mog can change the setting, kupo?"

"What do you have in mind, little fella?" asked the man.

"A place Mog knows very well," replied Mog, "That way, Mog can concentrate very well and be able to create a better story, kupo."

"Yes, that can be arranged. May I?" The man extended his hand towards Mog, asking for the pen. With the pen in hand, and utilizing the power of the Fragment, the man used the pen to erase the entire background that Sora and his friends were located.

* * *

In the black and white drawn world, Sora and his friends watched as the entire world was being erased by large portions.

"Check it out. Now the scenery is vanishing," noted Riku.

Donald lied on the ground on his stomach as his engulfed body was finally free after the entire scene was erased. "There's something screwy around here..." commented Donald.

"Who's doing this?" Goofy wondered.

"Princess, please stay close to me," advised Sora.

"Okay," replied Kairi.

* * *

Taking the pen in hand again, Mog was once again in control of the story.

"Just wait, Kairi," said Mog, "Mog will try really hard, just like Sora, and get the Fragment, kupo." Concentrating on his feelings, the pen began to levitate and begin the story once more.

* * *

Suddenly, under Sora's and his friends's footing, the ground began to light up in a strange light, before opening a way to an unknown pit. Sora and his friends fell into this mysterious abyss, not knowing what awaits them.....

* * *

It was 7:00 in the morning in this black and white world. The sound of the school bell sounded, signaling that class will be beginning. In one room, class was in session, as a short humanoid-duck, with a stick and a large textbook faced the classroom. The short humanoid duck slammed his textbook on the desk, grabbing the students's attention.

"Class is now in session," announced Donald, "Now, sit."

However, Donald finally realized that the entire classroom was full of dogs. The dogs obediently sat on their rear, like a normal dog would do, and barked in unison.

"Dogs!?" yelled Donald.

* * *

Mog could only giggle at the first scene. "Mog got the first hand laugh, kupo!" Mog said happily.

* * *

After that unexpected turn of events, everything went back to normal. The students wore the school's standard issue school uniforms. The boys wore white dress shirts with ties, wearing it however they see fit, and blue dress pants with black shoes. The girls wore white button-up T-shirts, with ties; and like the boys, they wore it however they see fit. Their shirts were complete with a short blue skirt with blue high socks and black shoes. Donald cleared his throat and straightened himself up for further announcements.

"Today, we have a new student coming in," announced Donald, "Come on in." A young teenaged boy showed up at the door and walked in. This student wore the usual school uniform, except the student wore his dress shirt untucked and his sleeves rolled up to his forearms.

One girl in particular, Kairi, looked up and saw the student. Kairi had her sleeves rolled up to her shoulders, but other than that, her uniform was worn normally. When Kairi saw the student, she looked surprised to see him. _**That student... I think I've seen him before...**_

"Hello, everyone," Sora greeted, "My name is Sora."

"Your seat is right over there," Donald directed Sora.

Sora walked over to the middle part of the class, near the windows. Sora's seat happened to be next to Kairi's. As Sora took his seat, Kairi, being the kind-hearted person that she is, immediately introduced herself. "It's nice to meet you," Kairi greeted, "My name is Kairi."

Sora turned his head towards Kairi. "Don't you recognize me?"

Kairi was surprised by what Sora said. However, it wasn't a rude greeting. It was more like a normal question. Kairi couldn't quite put her finger on it. Kairi searched into the back of her head, thinking really hard on where she might have seen Sora. As she thought long and hard, she remembered back then that she played with a boy, when she was a little kid, in a local park. She immediately realized that this boy was indeed Sora.

* * *

"It may be cliche, but in Mog's story, Kairi remembers everything about Sora, kupo," said Mog.

* * *

"I remember now!" Kairi realized, "You and I used to live next to each other in kindergarten!"

"It's been a long time, Kairi," said Sora, "Are you doing well?"

"Of course!" Kairi smiled, "Hey, Sora, do you remember when I said that I would be your bride one day?"

"Of course! I've never once forgotten," Sora smiled.

Kairi was speechless. Then, between Sora and Kairi, they began to feel something weird. It was like their bonds had taken flight within the rainbows. They stared deep into each other's eyes, smiling towards each other.

* * *

"It may be cliche, but in Mog's story, Sora and Kairi have a very good relationship, kupo," said Mog.

* * *

It was noon, and the entire school was on lunch break. Sora and Kairi sat together on one of the school benches with their own lunch. Sora had bought his lunch, since he wasn't a very good cook. Kairi, however, had made her lunch. Sora had told Kairi about what he had been doing in the past years, and how he and his father were. Apparently, Sora had mentioned that his father was on an archeology trip.

"I see," said Kairi, "So you're living alone."

"Yes," replied Kairi, "My dad went on a trip to a foreign country to inspect some ruins."

"Have you been eating properly?" asked Kairi.

"I don't really cook much at home," answered Sora.

"Well, then how about I come over and cook something for you?" offered Kairi, which surprised Sora. Kairi brought her lunch out, which was four slices of a turkey sandwich. Kairi picked up one of the slices and presented one to Sora. "Here, Sora."

Sora appreciated Kairi's generosity, but he had to ask for her permission first. "May I?"

"Sure!" Kairi smiled.

Sora reached over to take the sandwich from Kairi's hands. However, not only did Sora reach the sandwich, but his hand had also touched Kairi's. Sora, couldn't help but blush as their hands were connected. Kairi was also blushing just as much as Sora. Sora and Kairi stared into each other's eyes, and like before, their bonds were once again taking flight. No, it wasn't just that. It was more like the butterflies in their stomachs were taking flight.

* * *

"And from here, Mog will introduce a new character, kupo!" Mog announced happily.

* * *

Suddenly, a young, silver-haired, teenager appeared out of nowhere, from behind the school bench, startling Sora and Kairi. "Boo!" exclaimed Riku, "Sorry to startle you two." Riku was one of the elder teenaged students. He wore his uniform quite differently from the rest of the students. Unlike the rest, Riku never wore a tie on his dress shirt. Riku always wore his dress shirt with half of his shirt tucked in, while the other half was untucked. His sleeves were rolled up to her forearms.

"Oh, who is this?" Kairi asked, "It's Riku, one of the members of the student council, who is known to be very popular with the girls for his cool, calm demeanor."

"Thanks for that introduction," Riku smiled appreciatively, "By the way, your name is Sora, right? So you investigate ruins, right? That's what youdo, right? By theway, I haveafavor toask ofyou. Canyou hearmeoutforasecond? Ihavethisfriendwhoisinvestigatingsomeruins. He'shavingtroublereadingsomeofthesewords. Doyouthinkyoucouldhelphimout? EventhoughIsaidruins,it'sactuallyrightnexttotheschool? Soisthatokay? Whatarewewaitingfor? Here we go!" Riku grabbed Sora's hand and immediately sped off, with Sora's body flapping around behind him as he dashed out of there.

Silence took over Kairi as she watched Riku run off with Sora at hand. "........W-wait..." Kairi simply said as she held her hand out.

* * *

Sora and Kairi were standing before numerous ruins that resembled that of moogles. They had no idea what to say, as they found these statues...strange...

"Are these the ones?" asked Sora.

"These are the ones," replied Riku.

From behind one of the statues, a humanoid dog appeared along with a dog. "Howdy, fellas!" Goofy greeted, "My name is Goofy, and I'm the one in charge of this expedia-dition. And this is my partner, Pluto." Pluto barked, introducing himself. "You must be Sora," noted Goofy.

"Yes, it is," replied Sora, "So, where are these words that you can't read?"

Goofy and Pluto led Sora, Kairi, and Riku to one of the statues, where it displayed an ancient stone tablet with strange writings imprinted on it. "This is it, right here," Goofy presented.

Sora bent down to read the words carefully, attempting to decipher the writings as he inspected it. As Sora read the stone tablet, Kairi watched Sora carefully, hoping that Sora will be able to read it. Riku went away from the group and took a look around, until he found something......

"You know, Pluto, I'm beginning to wonder if he'll be able to read these words. We can't read it ourselves, but then again, the other archeologists can't read it either," commented Goofy, "I can't get my hopes up on this, but if only were were able to get some kind of clue..." Pluto nodded in agreement.

"I've read it," announced Sora, surprising Goofy and Pluto. Kairi, however, expressed happiness that Sora had accomplished a nearly impossible task. "It's actually a warning from the ancient people," explained Sora, "Don't touch the golden vase. If you touch it, the golden vase will release a large amount of evil powers and unleash a bird-like demon among the world."

"A bird-like demon?" pondered Goofy.

"What golden vase?" asked Kairi.

"Is this the one?" Riku asked. Sora, Goofy, and Pluto looked to their right and were competely shocked to see what Riku was holding in his hands. Riku had unknowingly presented a golden vase to Sora and the others. However, he failed to realize that because he touched the vase, the vase began to glow in a mysterious light, before clouds of black smoke shot out of the vase, startling everyone in the vicinity.

* * *

Meanwhile, Donald was eating his lunch peacefully, without any interruptions. Donald was sitting on one of the school benches, eating some rice balls. Before Donald was able to grab another one of his rice balls, a shadow appeared over him. Donald blinked when he began to wonder what this shadow was all about. Then Donald looked up to see what the source of this shadow was, only to see a dark cloud hovering above him.

"What's this?" Donald wondered as he stared at the dark cloud. Then, without warning, the dark cloud engulfed the helpless duck, as if the cloud literally ate him, causing Donald to scream as he was eaten. As the dark cloud contained Donald, the dark cloud exploded into a cloud of smoke.

* * *

The sound of the explosion caught the attention of Sora, Kairi, and Riku.

"That came from the school!" Sora exclaimed as he saw the pillar of smoke.

* * *

The smoke cleared, and it was replaced with Donald. However, Donald's appearance took on a different form. Now, Donald was literally a giant, and he was literally a combination a cross between Godzilla and his normal appearance. When Donald's body was in full view, he roared a demonic quack, frightening the entire city.

* * *

"Donald, you're so cool, kupo!" Mog said happily.

* * *

Donald began his rampage around the city, stomping on numerous objects: cars, houses, streets, everything.

* * *

"We'd better skedaddle!" Goofy warned everyone.

"Wait, hold on," Sora spoke up, "There's still more writing. It says, 'In order to seal the bird demon, a kiss between a holy man and a holy woman must be presented.'"

"...A kiss..." Kairi wondered.

"Hey, who is the bride and the groom?" Riku asked, trying to make a joke.

"Actually, it's just a normal kiss," Sora corrected.

Riku sighed in disappointment. "Man, I was just trying to make a joke..." Riku sighed, "Oh well, doesn't matter. I'll just have to continue on with the story. Sora, Kairi, for the sake of the world, right here and right now, both of you must kiss now!"

"WHAAAAAAAT!?" Sora and Kairi yelled with a mixture of shock and embarrassment.

* * *

Mog couldn't help but giggle as he was obviously having fun with the story he was creating.

* * *

Donald continued his rampage, destroying various military vehicles that have come to stop him, although in vain. Because of Donald's new form, Donald was able to breath out fire like a dragon.

"FLAME!!" Donald roared as he blew fire out, destroying tanks and buildings alike.

* * *

Sora and Kairi stared deep into each other's eyes, as the butterflies in their stomachs have once again taken flight. Sora and Kairi were not able to admit it to each other, but their eyes were enough for them to know it. It seems these two really have feelings for each other, if not for a long time.

Sora took Kairi's hands in his as they inched closer. Soon, Sora and Kairi closed their eyes and their faces were getting closer and closer. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by an untimely explosion that appeared next to them, launching the unfortunate teenagers into the air. Sora and Kairi screamed as they flew into the air.

* * *

The Air Force then came in, to launch an anti-ground assault on Donald. However, their planes were immediately shot down as soon as Donald spotted them coming towards them.

"FLAME!!" Donald roared as he blew out fire.

* * *

Sora and Kairi once again stared into each other's eyes. Butterflies took flight again. Their feelings couldn't be denied.

"Sora..." Kairi whispered.

"Kairi..." said Sora.

Once again, Sora took Kairi's hands in his, and their eyes closed. Sora and Kairi's face inched closer and closer. However, like before, an untimely explosion; this time, coming from the Air Force, launched Sora and Kairi into the air.

Sora landed in the school campus ground, while Kairi landed on her bottom, on top of Sora. 

Within the school campus, there were two teenaged couples, about the same age as Sora and Kairi. Apparently, it looked like these two had some feelings for each other as well.

"Olette...listen...I..." Haynar hesitated to find the right words.

"Haynar..." said Olette.

Haynar took Olette's hands in his, showing his true feelings towards the teenaged girl. Both of them closed their eyes and their faces inched closer and closer, until their lips finally touched each other.

* * *

Suddenly, the statue of the moogles began to crack, until suddenly, a beam of light shot into the air, catching the gigantic Donald's attention. The light then took form of something else. Whatever it was, this being looked like a robotic version of the moogle the statues resembled.

"Kupo--!" the robotic moogle squeaked.

Sora, Kairi, and Riku were completely speechless when they saw what the guardian looked like. To them, it wasn't exactly like what they expected.

Donald and the robotic moogle stared down at each other, until Donald unleashed his flame attack against his opponent.

"FLAME!!" Donald roared, shooting fire once again.

However, the moogle sucked in the flame with its wide mouth, completely negating Donald's flame attack.

"QUACK!?" Donald roared.

The robotic moogle then opened its wide mouth and began to suck in a large amount of air. Donald was also the one about to be sucked in as well. Donald did everything he could to resist being pulled in like a vacuum. However, Donald's attempts were fruitless and Donald was sucked in. It was then revealed that Donald was actually wearing a Godzilla suit, as he was sucked out of it. Donald screamed an indistinct scream as he fell into the abyss of the robotic moogles mouth.

"He did it!" Sora exclaimed with joy, along with Riku, Kairi, Goofy, and Pluto.

Then, the robotic moogle turned its attention towards Sora and his friends and used its same technique against them. Sora and his friends were sucked into the robotic moogle's mouth, and like Donald, they fell deeper and deeper into the abyss.

* * *

Mog then shot out a ball of light into the office. The ball of light changed its size to a large one, and when the light vanished, Sora and the rest of the party appeared before Mog, alive and in color, once again. Sora and his friends had once again regained their normal shapes.

"Where are we?" asked the confused Sora.

Kairi looked behind her and saw Mog staring at them from the desk. "Mog..."

"Welcome back, everyone!" Mog cheered.

"Hey, Mog, where did you go!? We've been looking all over for you and..." Donald was then at a complete loss of words. "Huh? What happened just a while back?"

"Yes," responded Sora, "What have we been doing this whole time?"

"Ta-da!" Mog presented Kairi's Heart Fragment towards the group. "Look what Mog found, kupo!"

"That's my--!" Kairi exclaimed in joy.

"Mog, did you find that all by yourself?" asked Sora.

"Nope, a nice man helped Mog, kupo," Mog informed, "He said that he has the power to control the world that he draws. He even said that in his world, he can control time, kupo."

"Controlling time..." Sora pondered.

"Is that last world still on your mind, Sora?" asked Riku.

"Last time, we were at Zanarkand, which was supposed to be destroyed 1000 years ago," recalled Sora, "before we went back to Luca. The outcome had better results, but that doesn't change the fact that we interfered with the flow of time."

"Are you wondering if it was okay to interfere with the way time was supposed to flow?" asked Goofy.

"That's another thing. I don't even know if we'll end up in the past of other worlds again," said Sora, "But if that happens again, what would happen to the other worlds?"

"There's not much we can do if you think about it," Riku commented.

"Riku's right," Goofy agreed, "You should just forget about it and just leave it aside."

"Besides, isn't there something that you should think about?" asked Riku.

"Yes, collecting Princess Kairi's Heart Fragments," realized Sora.

"Whatever that may be, we should just continue like we always do," encouraged Donald.

"That man said so, too," informed Mog, "He said that he can leave to travel, too, kupo." Mog looked to his right to see the man. Unfortunately, the man was no longer there, shocking the poor moogle. Mog then looked up to see the man's portrait, only to see that that man was no longer in the portrait. "Maybe...that person long ago... Mog wanted to draw with him again, but now Mog can't see him again, kupo," Mog said sadly, "And Mog forgot to return his pen."

"Hey, Mog, why don't you hold onto that Fragment for a while?" offered Kairi, surprising Mog, "That way, you'll be able to carve out memories of your friend in your heart."

Mog's heart was touched by Kairi's selfless generosity. Mog knew that Kairi needed the Heart Fragment, but to let Mog hold onto it for a while, in memory of his new friend was just so touching. "Kairi..."

"Is that okay, Sora?" asked Kairi.

"Absolutely!" Sora permitted.

"All righty, Mog will hold onto the Fragment until we head to the next world, kupo!" Mog said happily, making Kairi smile.

There was nothing more for the party to do anymore. Now that the Fragment has been retrieved, it was time for the party to depart for the next world.

Mog began to glow in a brilliant light. "Mog Moogle is to go! Kupo!!" Mog howled. Mog then sprouted his wings of light, emitting a magic light around the party. The light energy began to slowly engulf the party until they disappeared. Mog then jumped into a dimensional portal, thus leaving the world with his friends.

Unknown to Mog, as he departed from that world, the pages that Mog drew suddenly began to hover from the desk. All the pages went together and began spinning faster and faster, until it began to glow in a mysterious light. After a few seconds, the pages ceased to glow, and all that was left was a newly formed book, that gently descened onto the desk. On the book, there was an inscription imprinted onto the book, which read:

_**The Timeless River Tales**_

_**Written by **_

_**Mog**_

_**and**_

_**Walt Disney**_

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

**A/N - To all the viewers: I have a new story up and running, called Kingdom Hearts: Hollow Bastion Revelations. It's only one chapter, but I thought I'd give you all a preview of things to come. Kingdom Hearts: Hollow Bastion Revelations is my Christmas gift to all the viewers. Merry Christmas to all the writers and viewers!!  
**


	31. Under the Sea

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

_The evening moon shone beautifully over the ocean. As the moon shone over it, there was a red-headed female, jumping in and out of the ocean, just enjoying the evening skies. The strangest thing about this woman was that she had no legs. Rather, her legs were replaced with what seemed to be the tail of a fish.  
_

_"Ah, the night sky is so beautiful after a storm..." Ariel sighed in delight._

_Before Ariel was about to continue her nighttime swimming, she immediately eyed an object that floated across her vision. A wooden plank. Turning to where the wooden plank came from, she found more of the wooden planks floating about. Among them, there was a lone survivor. It looked like this survivor managed to survive a nasty storm that Ariel mentioned. The man was still unconscious, and Ariel immediately swam towards him and began tending to his possible injuries..._

* * *

**What would I give to live where you are...  
What would I pay to stay here beside you...  
What would I do to see you smiling at me...  
**

**Where would we walk, where would we run, if we could stay all day in the sun...  
Just you and me, and I could be part of your world...**

_The man began to come around. As he woke up, he found himself on the beach, near the town where he lived. This man wasn't sure how he managed to survive the sinking of his ship. He was sure that he was doomed when his ship sank and that he was left to float on the debris. But here he was, alive and well. But he couldn't help but wonder to himself, how did he get there? As he asked himself this question, he couldn't help but also wondering to himself about something..._

_**That voice...**_

* * *

_**Chapter 31: Under The Sea**_

* * *

Sora and his friends continued to travel through the dimensional space towards their next destination. After traveling through the space for a while, they have finally arrived in their next destination. However, as they appeared in this world, they found themselves in another transformation, like how they were back in Halloween Town, except this time, they were hybrids of sea creatures. Donald's lower-half of his body inhabited the arms of an octopus, Goofy's body inhabited a sea-turtle (Not including his head), Sora's lower-half body inhabited a dolphin's tail, Pluto's entire body was replaced with that of a seal's (Save for his head), Riku's lower-half inhabited a tiger shark's tail, and Kairi's lower-half inhabited that of a pinkish-red fish tail, along with two pink sea shells that covered her. Meanwhile, Mog himself was just floating about, surrounded by an unbreakable bubble.

"Here we are, kupo!" Mog happily announced.

"Hey, take a look at our new duds!" exclaimed Goofy, as he tested out his new body.

"This is weird," Donald commented as he tested out his octopus arms.

Riku had no problems with his new form. It seemed like Riku easily adapted to his new hybrid form. Sora had a little difficulty trying out his new body, but overall, he had no problems and swam just fine. Kairi, on the other hand, was hesitant to try on her new form. It was all new to her. She wasn't sure how to adapt to her new form.

"Is there something wrong, Princess?" asked the concerned Sora.

"It's nothing," replied Kairi, "It's just that this feels strange. I'm not even sure to how to do this."

Sora understood what Kairi meant. Sora then took the Princess's hand and led her around. "I'll show you, Princess. Just follow my lead, okay?" Sora instructed.

Once again, Kairi was touched by Sora's unconditional kindness and smiled in response to Sora's generous offer. As Sora began teaching Kairi how to swim in her new form, Kairi began to cope little by little, until finally, Kairi had managed to get the hang of things.

"Thank you, Sora," Kairi smiled.

"What kind of place is this?" Riku asked, as he surveyed the area.

"And how come we're under water, too?" Goofy added in.

The party found it strange, as well. Could this underwater area be the world itself? "This is probably part of the natural law of the world," Sora theorized.

"Well, that explains how we're able to breath underwater, too," commented Riku, "Considering that we're also in our new forms, as well."

"Hey, look what Mog can do, kupo!" Mog said happily, as he began spinning around like a ball in his bubble, causing Sora and Kairi to smile at Mog's silly behavior. "Oh, that reminds Mog, kupo!" Mog opened his mouth wide, causing a Heart Fragment that was recently acquired to emerge from the moogle's mouth. "Mog has your Heart Fragment here, Kairi."

"Thank you, Mog," Kairi smiled at the moogle.

Being absolutely loyal to the Princess, Mog gave Kairi's Heart Fragment back to the Princess. The Heart Fragment levitated in the air and began to hover towards Kairi. The Heart Fragment then merged itself into Kairi's body, and Kairi felt the sudden return of a piece of her heart and her memories. Soon, Kairi's body began to fall into slumber. Kairi's body was slowly falling towards the ocean floor, but Sora was quick to catch her before that could ever happen. As Kairi slept into Sora's arms, Kairi began to recall long forgotten memory...

* * *

Elsewhere, Xemnas and Larxene continued to watch Sora and his friends from their world of darkness. They had witnessed Kairi receiving another one of her Fragments.

"It seems they appeared in the world that we wanted them to go," noted Larxene.

"I must see it with my own eyes," said Xemnas, "The end of one life......and the beginning of the new..."

* * *

Sora and his friends had decided to take a break from their travels for a while, considering that they have been traveling around nonstop. Riku, Donald, and Goofy relaxed to one side of the hangout spot in the sea, just enjoying the view of the entire underwater world. Mog and Pluto were merely swimming around the area, checking out the interesting sights and seeing what they can find, like little sea creatures and a variety of corals and plants.

Meanwhile, Sora and Kairi talked alone, as they were sitting on an empty clam shell together.

"A sand bunny?" asked Sora.

"Yes, that's right," replied Kairi, "The Fragment I just received gave me back a memory of when I first met a sand bunny that I kept as a pet when I was a little girl."

A sand bunny... Sora remembered that day. In truth, Kairi met this sand bunny because it was he who brought one home in the first place.

* * *

_Little Kairi awaited in the town of Destiny Islands for Little Sora's arrival. Recently, Little Sora and his father, Konsetsu, went on an expedition to do some more archeological research at the caverns. Today, they were coming home from their business trip. Little Sora, as he was wearing his backpack, approached his friend, who continued to await his arrival.  
_

_"Welcome home, Sora," Little Kairi greeted her friend._

_"It's good to be back, Princess Kairi," Little Sora greeted back._

_"Where's your father?" asked Little Kairi._

_"My father went to go meet with the King for a while, so..." Before Little Sora could continued, Little Kairi noticed movement coming for Little Sora's backpack._

_The backpack continued to move about, until a tiny head popped up from the opening of Little Sora's backpack. It was a tiny rabbit-like creature, which immediately eyed Little Kairi, upon its arrival. "Awww, how cute!" Little Kairi exclaimed in joy._

_"I found him at the excavation site," informed Little Sora, "I accidentally woke him up in his sleep and he's been following me ever since."_

_The rabbit-like creature immediately took a liking to Little Kairi and jumped from Little Sora's backpack and onto Little Kairi's shoulder. The rabbit-like creature went so far as to snuggle up to Little Kairi, making the Princess giggle in delight.  
_

_"Hehe, that tickles..." Little Kairi giggled, "Hey, Sora, can I keep him as a pet?"_

_"Huh?" Little Sora was puzzled._

_"I'll take really good care of him," Little Kairi promised, "Is that okay with you?"_

* * *

Sora remembered that memory all too well. That sand bunny was one of the happiest moments of Kairi's life. However...

"But..." Kairi spoke up. There was something that was bothering Kairi about the memory. Kairi placed a hand on the left-side of her face, where the sand bunny snuggled up to her. Something about the memory was all too familiar with her. How did she come across a sand bunny in the first place?

* * *

_The rabbit-like creature immediately took a liking to Little Kairi and jumped from Little Sora's backpack and onto Little Kairi's shoulder. The rabbit-like creature went so far as to snuggle up to Little Kairi, making the Princess giggle in delight._

_"Hehe, that tickes..." Little Kairi giggled, "Hey, ____ can I keep him as a pet? I'll take really good care of him. Is that okay with you?"_

_Little Kairi spoke to someone, in regards to the little rabbit-like creature, unaware of the fact that there was nobody in front of her..._

* * *

Kairi didn't know who she was talking to. But most disturbing of all, why was it that she couldn't recall the name in her memory? Sora then realized why Kairi was being disturbed by it. Even though she has one of her happy memories back again, there is one part of that memory that will never come back. Yet, another reminder to Sora's sacrifice.

Riku, Donald, and Goofy were listening in on the conversation between the two childhood friends. Apparently, they realized what was really happening to Kairi's memories.

"Even when Kairi gets a piece of her memory back, she will never remember Sora," noted Riku.

"If it's really hurting him that much, then he should stop asking her about what her past stories," commented Donald.

"Sora is probably just seeing how much of her memory has returned," Goofy hypothesized.

"Pretty admirable, if you ask me," said Riku.

"Mog, is the Princess's Heart Fragment around here?" asked Sora.

"I'll check, kupo." Mog, while still in his bubble, concentrated hard enough to find any hidden energy signal that might be a clue to Kairi's Heart Fragment. "Mog can't sense anything, but Mog isn't sure, kupo," Mog informed.

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to look for it," said Goofy.

"That's going to be harder than it looks," Donald spoke up, "We're in the middle of the sea. It could be anywhere."

"I guess we'd better start looking while we still can, right?" Riku encouraged.

Before the party could get started on their search, the party noticed that there were three people going in their direction. Actually, more precisely, it was one girl, one fish, and one crab.

"Oh, I've never seen you here, before," the girl noted. The girl then approached the party, while noticed that their forms were not like the ones she has seen among her people. "Are you from around here?"

"We're actually from a faraway place, kupo!" Mog announced happily, floating into the girl's line of vision.

The girl was surprised to see Mog floating inside his little bubble. She had never seen this kind of sea creature before. "What is this thing?" asked the surprised girl.

"Mog is Mog, kupo!" Mog said happily, while rolling around in his bubble.

"This is our friend, Mog," Sora introduced, "My name is Sora."

"Donald Duck!" Donald greeted.

"Goofy!" Goofy greeted, "And this is Pluto." Pluto, even though he was in his seal form, barked in an introductory response.

"My name is Riku," Riku introduced.

"And my name is Kairi," Kairi introduced.

"It's nice to meet you all," said the girl, "My name is Ariel. These are my friends, Flounder and Sebastian."

"Hiya, everyone!" Flounder greeted.

"Welcome, friends!" greeted Sebastian.

"Have you come here to visit Atlantica?" asked Ariel.

"Atlantica?" asked Sora.

"You mean your kingdom, right?" asked Riku.

"That's right," replied Ariel, "Would you like to come and see?" Ariel took point and began to swim towards her kingdom, with Flounder and Sebastian following after her. "Come on, everyone," Ariel invited everyone.

Sora and his friends followed after Ariel throughout the entire underwater world. As they all followed after Ariel, Kairi took a good look at her new surroundings, and was fascinated by the beautiful sea life that she has never seen before. She saw everything, ranging from corals, fishes of all kinds, and a variety of sea creatures lingering about.

"Hey, Riku, I think Kairi's getting the hang of this swimming thing," commented Goofy.

"All thanks to Sora's teaching," Riku added in.

Ariel then stopped in her tracks and turned towards the party. "By the way, what is your reason for your travels?" Ariel asked out of curiosity.

"Well, we're actually travelling around the world, looking for something," Sora replied.

"And someone," Donald added in, not forgetting the fact that him and Goofy are still looking for their King.

"Are you explorers?" asked Ariel.

"That pretty much sums it up," answered Riku, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, when Flounder, Sebastian, and I saw your forms, we didn't recognize you, because of your forms," answered Ariel.

"Oh, you must mean our tails," Sora realized, as he referred to his dolphin tail.

"I guess you must have found us strange, especially when you saw Donald as a duck-topus," Riku mused.

"I'm not a duck-topus," Donald grumbled.

"Oh, right, you're an octo-duck," Riku smiled.

"That's right," said Donald, " An octo--Hey! What are you saying!?"

"Donald's an octo-duck, kupo!" Mog cheered, floating around Donald's head.

Donald immediately grabbed Mog's bubble, in order to stop him from floating around his head, which heavily annoyed Donald. "Don't make me burst your bubble, Mog," Donald lightly threatned.

"Uh-oh, the octo-duck is mad," Mog giggled.

As much as Donald wanted to right now, he didn't have it in his heart to try to burst Mog's bubble. Instead, Donald threw Mog away like a bastketball, which Kairi easily caught in her hands, leaving Donald fuming.

"This object that you seek, is it in my kingdom?" Ariel asked.

"We're not sure, but if it's okay, we'd like to see for ourselves," Sora permitted.

"I can ask my father," Ariel offered, "He's the king of Atlantica. He might be able to help you and your friends."

* * *

After swimming for a majority of time, Sora and his friends have finally made it to the Kingdom of Atlantica. It was truly a majestic sight to behold. The palace was big, fit for a king. Lights illuminated throughout the hallway within the palace. Around the palace, there were others who lingered about, most likely attendants of the castle, as well as residents.

"My grandfather should be in the throne room," Ariel informed her friends.

"Ariel, need I remind you that your father is very upset about this morning," warned Sebastian, "Because of what you did, King Triton has been in an awful mood."

"Just let me worry about my father," said Ariel.

"Did something happen?" asked Kairi.

"Well, early this morning, there was a performance that I was supposed to attend to, along with my sisters," recalled Ariel, "The problem was: I never showed up. I can already hear what he's going to say."

Sora and his friends were unsure about how Ariel was going to handle her father. They weren't sure how her father is going to react upon her entrance. They could only hope that this King Triton was not as harsh as Sebastian puts it.

* * *

Sora and his friends entered the palace, along with Ariel, who granted them permission to enter, as it was forbidden for strangers to enter the palace without proper clearance.

Ariel guided her newfound friends to the throne room, where her father, King Triton awaited. Ariel could already see King Triton's expression. And like Sebastian warned her, he was in a very foul mood.

"And just where have you been, Ariel?" King Triton questioned with suspicion.

"I'm so sorry, Daddy," Ariel apologized, "I completely forgot."

"And I see you've brought friends with you. However, that doesn't not excuse you of your reckless behavior--," Triton began.

"Careless and reckless behavior," Sebastian added.

"--the entire celebration was...uh..." Triton had a hard time coming up with a certain word to finish this off.

"Ruined," Sebastian finished for Ariel, "It was completely destroyed! This concert was supposed to be the greatest moment of my career! But now, because of you, Ariel, I'm completely ruined!"

Flounder had heard enough of Sebastian's accusations and swam up to the little crab's face. "But it wasn't her fault!" Flounder defended. King Triton then eyed Flounder, as if expecting a straight explanation from the little yellow fish. "W-well, you see...uh...there was this shark that chased us around...yeah, yeah! And, uh, we tried to but we couldn't...and...and then we were finally safe. But, then this seagull came in, and uh, um, uh..."

"Seagull?" Triton spoke up, as almost sounding completely shocked. Flounder immediately put his fins over his mouth, after realizing that his tongue just slipped. Flounder then immediately swam behind Ariel, for safety reasons. "You went up to the surface again, didn't you? Didn't you!?"

"Daddy, nothing happened," Ariel tried to convince.

King Triton sighed in disappointment. "Ariel, how many times must we go through with this? Those barbarians--those humans--could have seen you!"

"Daddy, they are not barbarians," Ariel protested.

"They are dangerous!" Triton said sternly, "I will not be the one who watches my daughter be caught in a fisher-eater's hook!"

"I'm sixteen years old," the mermaid continued to protest, "I'm not a child anymore!"

"Do not speak in that tone, young lady!" commanded Triton, "As long as you live under my ocean, you will abide by my rules!"

"Please, just listen--" Ariel was immediately cut off by one of King Triton's harsh words.

"Not another word, Ariel!" King Triton ordered harshly, "I don't ever, EVER want to hear anything about you going to the surface again! Is that clear!?"

"Your Majesty, can you please--" Sora tried to intervene between the arguing father and daughter, only to receive the same tone Ariel received, making Sora cringe from the loud sound of King Triton's voice.

"I have spoken!!" yelled King Triton.

Ariel swam away crying, with Flounder, Sora, and his friends following after her. Afterwards, King Triton sighed, after having used his voice too much, because of the yelling.

"Teenagers..." said Sebastian, "It's as if they know everything. You give them their independence, and they just take advantage of it."

"Sebastian, do you believe I am too hard on her?" asked King Triton.

"Of course not, Your Majesty," assured Sebastian, "Why, if she were my daughter, I'd show the same discipline you have just displayed. None of this 'swimming around the surface' nonsense. No, Your Majesty, I would keep her under tight control."

Hearing Sebastian's words managed to spark something inside of King Triton's head. "You know what? You're absolutely right, Sebastian."

"Of course, sir," Sebastian smiled proudly.

"Ariel is in need of constant supervision," Triton realized, making Sebastian nod in agreement, "Someone to watch over her, and keep her out of trouble."

"At all times," added Sebastian.

"And YOU are just the crab to do it," concluded King Triton.

Much to his dismay, Sebastian realized that this caretaker that King Triton thought of was him. Sebastian, not one to disobey the King's orders, began to swim away to follow after Ariel and her friends, while muttering to himself, lucky that King Triton wouldn't hear his mutters. "How do I end up in these kinds of situations? My job is to write songs for the King's banquets, not to babysit some headstrong daughter..."

* * *

Elsewhere, someone was watching idly. This mysterious person was living in some kind of sea cave, watching Ariel and her friends through some kind of viewing mirror.

"Yeeessss, princess," the figure chuckled to herself, "I've found you at last. You're the last piece of the 'puzzle.' Flotsam, Jetsam! I want you to keep an extra close eye on this pretty little daughter of his. She may be the key to Triton's undoing..."

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

**A/N - Whew! Sorry for my absence, viewers. These fillers nowadays are hard to come up with. Don't worry, viewers. The Piffle Arc version will come up soon. I just want to make maybe one or two more fillers, and then it's the Piffle Arc and onwards (In other words, after the Piffle Arc, there will be no more fillers.) Again, sorry for my absence! As always, enjoy!**


	32. Fury of the King

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**"Seagull?" Triton spoke up, as almost sounding completely shocked. Flounder immediately put his fins over his mouth, after realizing that his tongue just slipped. Flounder then immediately swam behind Ariel, for safety reasons. "You went up to the surface again, didn't you? Didn't you!?"**

**"Daddy, nothing happened," Ariel tried to convince.**

**King Triton sighed in disappointment. "Ariel, how many times must we go through with this? Those barbarians--those humans--could have seen you!"**

**"Daddy, they are not barbarians," Ariel protested.**

**"They are dangerous!" Triton said sternly, "I will not be the one who watches my daughter be caught in a fisher-eater's hook!"**

**"I'm sixteen years old," the mermaid continued to protest, "I'm not a child anymore!"**

**"Do not speak in that tone, young lady!" commanded Triton, "As long as you live under my ocean, you will abide by my rules!"**

**"Please, just listen--" Ariel was immediately cut off by one of King Triton's harsh words.**

**"Not another word, Ariel!" King Triton ordered harshly, "I don't ever, EVER want to hear anything about you going to the surface again! Is that clear!?"**

**

* * *

Elsewhere, someone was watching idly. This mysterious person was living in some kind of sea cave, watching Ariel and her friends through some kind of viewing mirror.**

**"Yeeessss, princess," the figure chuckled to herself, "I've found you at last. You're the last piece of the 'puzzle.' Flotsam, Jetsam! I want you to keep an extra close eye on this pretty little daughter of his. She may be the key to Triton's undoing..."**

* * *

_**Chapter 32: Fury of the King**_

* * *

Ariel led her friends out of the palace, and around the underwater environment, until they ended up in a rocky area. Around this place, there was a circular stone wall that stood in front of some kind underwater cave.

"Sora, everyone, please follow me here," Ariel directed them to that circular stone wall. Ariel then requested Sora's help to move the stone wall out of the way, to reveal an opening. Ariel then allowed Sora and his friends to enter, while she stayed behind to close the entrance, in order to prevent any possible intruders, especially King Triton of all people.

"Hey, Ariel, I'm going to go swimming for a while," said Flounder, "So I'll be back in a while, okay?"

"Okay," Ariel nodded, "See you soon."

Turning in a different direction, Flounder immediately departed another way to attend to his own free time. However, unknown to Ariel and Flounder, Sebastian had managed to tail them to whatever this place was. At the last minute, as soon as Ariel sealed the entrance, Sebastian had one of his legs caught in the entrance. Luckily for the little crab, Ariel did not manage to see him enter and went off to meet up with Sora and his friends. Sebastian continued to struggle to get his leg out, until he was finally free from his temporary captivity.

Following after Ariel, Sebastian made his way past the hallway entrance, until his eyes lit up on something so astounding. In this place, there were vast collections of various items that could never be found around the ocean kingdom: clocks, music boxes, silverware, utensils, a globe, anything that belonged to land.

"Wow! Look at all the neat stuff, kupo!" Mog exclaimed happily, as he floated around in his bubble, looking at the vast collection of the scavenged items.

"Where did you find all of these?" asked Kairi, as she inspected the items as well.

"I found them all lying around, whenever I'm swimming around outside of the palace...whenever my father doesn't know," replied Ariel.

"She's got everything here," said Mog, "Spoons, forks, clocks, corkscrews, even Lulu has tons of these, kupo!"

"Spoons? Forks? Clocks? Cork...screws?" asked the confused Ariel, "You have strange names for these objects."

"You mean you've never heard of them?" asked Goofy.

"No. A friend of my always told me what these things are...whenever I find one of these items and show it to him...on the outside world," Ariel explained.

"You mean your seagull friend," realized Riku.

"Yes, my friend, Scuttle," replied Ariel.

"By the way, Ariel, why does your father dislike the outer world so much?" asked the curious Donald.

Ariel sighed. "He is always distrustful of the human world," Ariel began to explain, "It all started when I lost my mother in an incident, when I was little. I lost my mother to a group of sailors, years ago. Ever since then, my father has never had a liking to the human world."

"Oh, we're sorry to hear about your mother, Ariel," Goofy spoke up, with Pluto barking in response.

"No, it's okay," assured Ariel.

"Your father, does he rule the entire ocean?" asked Kairi.

"Yes, he does," answered Ariel, "The trident that you see is the symbol of his rule. It is said that with that trident, all kinds of wonders can be made in the ocean."

"Wonders..." Sora pondered.

"Something on your mind, Sora?" asked Riku.

"Ariel, can that trident even find missing items?" asked the curious Sora.

"I can't say for sure," replied Ariel, "I've never seen him use the trident for something like that."

"I see..." said the disappointed Sora.

"Ariel, all these items that you have around here, why do you collect them?" asked the curious Kairi.

"Honestly, I'm so interested in the outside world," Ariel replied, swimming up to the opening of her grotto, and then descending slowly back down to meet up with her friends.

"Why are you so interested in the outside world? Aren't you happy here?" Goofy questioned.

"Oh, yes, I am happy here, but...outside...I just want to know...what it's like out there," Ariel dreamed to herself, "I want to know what it's like to see the skies on the ground, walk on...uh...what do you call them...'feet?' Wanting to know what it is like on the outside world is like a dream to me!"

"That's some dream you have there, Ariel," Kairi commented.

"......To be honest, that's not the only reason," Ariel confessed, grabbing everyone's attention, "While I was up on the surface, I...met someone..."

"Really?" Mog floated up to Ariel's eye-level, "Who is the lucky guy, kupo?"

"Well..." Ariel was about to confess, until someone suddenly appeared from up above.

"Ariel! Come quick! You have to see this!" Flounder exclaimed excitedly.

"What is it, Sebastian?" asked the confused Ariel.

"Just come with me, I think you're going to like this!" Flounder continued to exclaim excitedly.

Flounder immediately led the way up to the opening at the top of Ariel's grotto. Ariel, Sora and his friends immediately followed the yellow fish to wherever they were going to be heading.

Seeing that he was getting left behind, although unknown to them, Sebastian immediately began to scurry after them, wanting to find out what Ariel is up to.

* * *

Flounder had finally arrived at a rocky area. Flounder then swam downwards towards to two big rocks. Underneath these giant boulders, there was something stuck underneath, and it looked big.

"What is this, Flounder?" asked Ariel.

"I don't know, but it looks like some kind of man or something," Flounder answered, showing what appeared to be stone legs.

"Could this be a statue of some kind?" asked Goofy as he took a look as well.

"A statue?" Ariel asked.

"Let's try moving it," Donald spoke up, grabbing onto side of the boulder and attempting to move it.

Sora, Riku, and Goofy joined in with Donald and tried to move the gigantic boulder. After a brief struggle with the gigantic object, the boys had managed to move the rock, revealing the hidden object that Flounder had found. To everyone's surprise, including Ariel's, Goofy's hypothesis was correct. It was a statue of a man. Judging from the looks of it, it looks like this statue hold the image of what appears to be a man of royalty.

"Wow! What a nice statue, kupo!" Mog exclaimed happily.

"The architecture on this thing is incredible," Sora began to observe the statue, "It looks like it was just recently made, by the looks of it."

"That man..." said Ariel.

"Do you know him, Ariel?" asked Kairi.

"...That's the man I saw up above the surface," confessed Ariel.

"Who is he?" asked Donald.

"I never knew his name," replied Ariel, "I found him lost around the sea, and I rescued him. If I hadn't saved him, he would have surely drowned. When I first saw him, I felt...somewhat...infatuated with him..."

"So, what should we do with this statue?" asked Flounder.

"...Hmm, do you think we should take it back to my grotto?" Ariel thought.

"Why not? We should be able to carry it back over," said Riku, "It's not too far, after all."

"Yeah," Sora agreed.

"Oh, thank you, everyone!" exclaimed the excited Ariel, "Thank you so much for your help."

"All in a day's work, Ariel!" Goofy cheered.

The boys put themselves to work. The object was not really heavy, and with team effort, the boys had managed to get the statue off of the ground and carry it off with them towards Ariel's grotto. As they party swam away, they still had not noticed Sebastian spying on them.

"Oh, no," Sebastian said to himself, "This is not good. If the Sea King finds out about this... I'd better talk Ariel out of this..." With this "new mission," Sebastian followed after Ariel and her friends, in order to put a stop to Ariel's fantasies about the outside world, considering that she has taken special interest in a certain human...

* * *

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku gently placed the statue in the middle of Ariel's grotto, where the light can shine brightly over the statue. With the light from up above Ariel's grotto, it almost looks like the masterpiece was shining, as if the statue was the greatest display of them all.

"Oh, it's perfect!" exclaimed the happy Ariel.

"It's a wonderful piece of art, kupo!" Mog cheered.

"I agree," Kairi nodded, "The statue looks so beautiful now."

"I wonder who made it though," said the intrigued Ariel.

"Whoever it was, they must have been a good sculpture to make something so life-like," Sora continued to observe the statue, "Just look at the details of this." Sora swam around the statue, inspecting every detail of the piece of art.

"Sora looks like he's really into the statue," Mog whispered to Kairi.

"It sure looks like it." Kairi couldn't help but smile as she watched Sora performing his favorite hobby. As what she observed, Sora really enjoys his job as an archeologist.

"Hey, Ariel, you said that you felt infatuated with him, right?" asked Mog.

"Yes, I did," replied Ariel, "I don't know why, but...when I first saw him, I could have sworn that my heart was beating rather fast."

"...This may be a thought, but maybe that's because you're in love with the guy," Goofy hypothesized.

"...You really think I am?" asked the puzzled Ariel.

"It's love at first sight, kupo!" Mog cheered.

"'Love at first sight?'" Ariel didn't quite understand what Mog meant by the phrase.

"Lulu once said it before," Mog began, "When one person immediately sees a person, and he or she takes a liking to someone, and he or she begins to have feelings for him or her, then that is love at first sight, kupo!"

Ariel thought long and hard about it. When first saw him, and began singing a lullaby to him, she realized that she really did fall in love with the human. Even her song had made that point clear. "You know what? I think you're right. Perhaps...I really have fallen in love with him."

"Absolutely not!"

The party looked upwards and found Sebastian descending slowly into Ariel's hands. From the looks of Sebastian's face, it is clear that he did not like the idea of Ariel falling in love with a human.

"Ariel, I disapprove of your feelings!" exclaimed the stern Sebastian, "You cannot fall in love with a human. It is strictly forbidden!"

"Sebastian, this has nothing to do with you," Ariel protested, "These are my feelings alone, not yours."

"That is unacceptable!" Sebastian argued, "You are forbidden to have these feelings for some human that lives on the outside world. Your father has forbidden you from making contact to the outside world, and you are to obey them without question!"

"Sebastian, I've made my decision," said the stern Ariel, "And there is nothing you can do about it!" With that said, Ariel tossed Sebastian aside and swam away to the top of her grotto, to get away from the crab. Sora and his friends immediatley followed after Ariel, wondering where she was about to go.

Sebastian could only watch her and her friends swim away, leaving him to ponder on the "unfortunate" situation. "Oh, this is terrible," Sebastian said to himself, "If the Sea King finds out about this... No...I can't allow him to find out that she's fallen in love......with a human of all people!"

"What about humans!?"

"Oh......me and my big mouth..." Sebastian was visibly shaking with fear, upon hearing an all too familiar voice. Turning around, he laid his eyes on a set of dark, angered eyes...

* * *

Ariel rose up from the surface of the ocean, to the same place where she rescued the man from before. Every time Ariel rose up from the surface, she was even more intrigued the with outside world. In her heart, she continued to wish for the day where she would walk on land. Next to Ariel, Sora and his friends rose up from the surface, to see the entire world that Ariel discovered. As Sora and his friends looked around their surroundings, Ariel immediately jumped at a sighting. She then grabbed Sora's arm to hid behind a rock that was above the surface.

"What is it, Ariel?" whispered Sora.

"It's him..." Ariel whispered back.

Sora and his friends looked towards the land and found a young man, staring out into the ocean. Everyone couldn't help but wonder why he was staring out in the ocean. Could it be that he was wanting to journey into the outside world, or maybe, there was something more to it than that? After a long period of staring, the young man turned and left the beach.

Ariel could only sigh in delight, as she watched him leave. If only she could admit her feelings for him, and even show herself to her, regardless of what she truly is.

"Love, love, love, kupo!" Mog sang happily.

"You really are infatuated with him, Ariel," Riku commented.

"Yes..." sighed Ariel.

"Hey, Sora, I know this isn't a good time, but we should start searching for Kairi's Heart Fragment," Donald reminded.

"Oh, that's right," Sora realized, "I forgot all about it. Hey, Mog, how about it?"

"Mog still isn't so sure, kupo," said Mog.

"I guess we'd better start looking," said Sora, "Hey, Ariel, we'd like to spend more time with you, but we have something that we have to do."

"I understand," Ariel nodded in agreement, "Can we meet again sometime?"

"We'll be around for a while, so we'll be back again," assured Kairi.

"I look forward to it," Ariel smiled.

"See you later, kupo!" Mog waved, as he floated away with the others.

Sora and his friends immediately went underwater and swam away to start their search for Kairi's Heart Fragment. Meanwhile, Ariel and Flounder decided to head back to the grotto. Personally, Ariel just wanted to see the statue again...

* * *

Arriving back at the grotto, Ariel immediately eyed the statue of the man from up above. The red-haired mermaid swam up to the statue and looked into the eyes.

"Oh, if only I was able to talk to you in person," Ariel said to the statue, as if it were a real person.

"Why not just meet him face to face, Ariel?" asked Flounder.

"That's what I'm afraid of," confessed Ariel, "I'm just not sure if how he will react when he sees what I really look like. We both come from different worlds. ...I don't know... Maybe I'll think about it overnight." Before Ariel had the chance to exit her grotto, she was met with an angered figure that she immediately recognized. "Daddy!" Flounder was immediately frightened by King Triton's mood and immediately swam behind the statue for cover. Ariel looked behind her father and found Sebastian cowering, as if he were saying 'I'm sorry...'

"I once thought of myself as a fair man," King Triton said coldly, "I set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be followed."

"But, Daddy--" Ariel had no chance to say any further.

"Is it true that you saved this human from drowning?" King Triton interrupted, referring to the image of the statue.

"Daddy, I had to--" Ariel was once again interrupted by King Triton's rants.

"Contact between the mer-world and the human world is strictly forbidden!" King Triton exclaimed in a loud voice, "You should know that by now, just as well as everyone!"

"But he could have died," Ariel argued.

"That is one less human to worry about," Triton argued back.

"You don't even know him!" protested Ariel.

"I don't need to know him," said Triton, "They are all the same. They are nothing but savages. Harpooning, fish-eating savages, incapable of freeing any--"

"Daddy, I love him!" Ariel exclaimed immediately.

This did not satisfy King Triton's anger. In fact, it only made things worst. "No... You have lost your senses completely," said King Triton, "He is a human; and you are a mermaid!"

"I don't care!" yelled Ariel.

"So help me, Ariel, I am going to get through to you!" King Triton claimed, "And if this is the only way..." King Triton's trident then began to glow with magic powers. "...so be it."

Without warning, King Triton's magic trident began to blast everything around Ariel's grotto, much to the horror of her daughter. Flounder and Sebastian immediately swam away from the destruction, hiding out in the hallway entrance of Ariel's grotto. Ariel couldn't believe what was happening. All of the artifacts, all of her collection, was being destroyed, by her father of all people. "Daddy!" Ariel tried to reason out. The destruction continued, and more and more of her collection was being smashed, shattered, and crumbled by the magic power of King Triton's trident. "Daddy, please, stop it!"

With almost all of her items destroyed, there was only one more thing left standing. The statue. The Ariel's last time, and the last symbol of her wishes. Ariel immediately knew what was going to happen and she immediately grabbed onto King Triton's arm, hoping to stop him from his angered rampage. "DADDY, NO!!"

But her words feel on deaf ears. With one final, powerful blast, King Triton unceremoniously destroyed the statue of the man Ariel fell in love with. Everything was now destroyed, and possibly her wishes, as well. With nothing around her to symbolize her wish, Ariel broke down in tears, sobbing into her arms. King Triton watched her daughter cry, and immediately regretted what has happened. However, to him, it was for her own good. King Triton left Ariel's grotto, in order to give her daughter the time she needs to grieve, leaving only Sebastian and Flounder to keep her company.

As soon as Triton left, Sebastian and Flounder swam up to Ariel, to try to comfort her. "Ariel, I..." Sebastian couldn't find the words to express his guilt. He didn't know how he could ever apologize for what has happened. If anything, Sebastian felt that Ariel should hate his guts. He was the one who told Triton everything.

"Just go away," Ariel sobbed silently.

Sadness washed over Sebastian. He knew he deserved to be shunned by Ariel. Feeling guilty enough, Sebastian walked out of Ariel's grotto, followed by a sad Flounder, who felt sorry for what has happened to his friend.

As Ariel continued to cry into her arms, she never realized...she was not alone...

"Poor child..."

"Poor, sweet child..."

Ariel looked up from her crying position, and saw two eels swimming around her. She didn't know who these eels were, but from the looks of them, they didn't look like the friendly types.

"She has a very serious problem," Floatsam said in a ominous voice.

"If only there was something we could do," said Jetsam in the same ominous voice as his mirror twin.

"But there is something..." Floatsam smiled evilly.

"Who--who are you?" asked the frightened Ariel.

"Don't be scared," assured Jetsam, as he swam up to Ariel, which continued to frighten her.

"We represent someone who can help you," informed Floatsam, as he snaked around Ariel's body, making her feel uncomfortable.

"Someone who can help make your dreams come true," added Jetsam.

"Just imagine..." Floatsam and Jetsam said simulataneously.

"You and your prince..." Jetsam began.

"Together forever," Floatsam and Jetsam concluded simultaneously.

"I don't understand." Ariel couldn't trust these two. She wondered what these two eels were trying to pull off.

"Ursula has great powers," Jetsam informed.

"The sea witch?" said the shocked Ariel. Ariel was well-informed about who Ursula was. Ursula was once a servant of King Triton, until one of her crimes earned her the banishment from King Triton himself. "That's......no...I can't possibly......no! Get out of here! Leave me alone!" Ariel resumed her position, turning her back on the eels.

"If that is your answer..." Floatsam shrugged.

"It was just a suggestion." Jetsam began to swim away with his mirrow twin, flicking a piece of stone towards the grieving Ariel.

As the stone landed near Ariel, Ariel looked up to the stone and saw what it was. It was the last piece of the statue that King Triton destroyed. The face was still intact, but it still held a reminder of what Ariel's wish was. Ariel stared at the last fragment of the statue, until... "Wait."

"Yeeeeeeeees?" Floatsam and Jetsam turned around, regaining Ariel's attention...

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	33. The Granted Wish

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**"Daddy, I love him!" Ariel exclaimed immediately.**

**This did not satisfy King Triton's anger. In fact, it only made things worst. "No... You have lost your senses completely," said King Triton, "He is a human; and you are a mermaid!"**

**"I don't care!" yelled Ariel.**

**"So help me, Ariel, I am going to get through to you!" King Triton claimed, "And if this is the only way..." King Triton's trident then began to glow with magic powers. "...so be it."**

**Without warning, King Triton's magic trident began to blast everything around Ariel's grotto, much to the horror of her daughter. Flounder and Sebastian immediately swam away from the destruction, hiding out in the hallway entrance of Ariel's grotto. Ariel couldn't believe what was happening. All of the artifacts, all of her collection, was being destroyed, by her father of all people. "Daddy!" Ariel tried to reason out. The destruction continued, and more and more of her collection was being smashed, shattered, and crumbled by the magic power of King Triton's trident. "Daddy, please, stop it!"**

**With almost all of her items destroyed, there was only one more thing left standing. The statue. The Ariel's last time, and the last symbol of her wishes. Ariel immediately knew what was going to happen and she immediately grabbed onto King Triton's arm, hoping to stop him from his angered rampage. "DADDY, NO!!"**

**But her words feel on deaf ears. With one final, powerful blast, King Triton unceremoniously destroyed the statue of the man Ariel fell in love with. Everything was now destroyed, and possibly her wishes, as well. With nothing around her to symbolize her wish, Ariel broke down in tears, sobbing into her arms. King Triton watched her daughter cry, and immediately regretted what has happened. However, to him, it was for her own good. King Triton left Ariel's grotto, in order to give her daughter the time she needs to grieve, leaving only Sebastian and Flounder to keep her company.**

**

* * *

****"Ursula has great powers," Jetsam informed.**

**"The sea witch?" said the shocked Ariel. Ariel was well-informed about who Ursula was. Ursula was once a servant of King Triton, until one of her crimes earned her the banishment from King Triton himself. "That's......no...I can't possibly......no! Get out of here! Leave me alone!" Ariel resumed her position, turning her back on the eels.**

**"If that is your answer..." Floatsam shrugged.**

**"It was just a suggestion." Jetsam began to swim away with his mirrow twin, flicking a piece of stone towards the grieving Ariel.**

**As the stone landed near Ariel, Ariel looked up to the stone and saw what it was. It was the last piece of the statue that King Triton destroyed. The face was still intact, but it still held a reminder of what Ariel's wish was. Ariel stared at the last fragment of the statue, until... "Wait."**

**"Yeeeeeeeees?" Floatsam and Jetsam turned around, regaining Ariel's attention...**

* * *

_**Chapter 33: The Granted Wish  
**_

* * *

Flounder and Sebastian were in a clear area. They were thinking about how awful Ariel must be feeling right now. It was only an innocent feeling that Ariel was expressing, despite the fact that the person she had feelings for was a human being. Yet, King Triton's ego completely disapproved it, going so far as to show his incredible hatred of humans in front of Ariel, and destroying all the things that she cherished.

"Poor Ariel," Flounder sniffled.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," confessed Sebastian, "It was an accident." Sebastian continued to blame himself for what happened. In truth, Sebastian felt that he should claim responsibility.

As they were still contemplating the events that occurred, they saw a few shadows hover over their heads. Looking up, they saw Ariel swimming behind a pair of eels. Based on what they were seeing, these eels held a dark, ominous aura around them. However, it seems like Ariel is willingly following them. But on closer inspection, Sebastian recognized these two eels.

Sebastian and Flounder immediately followed after them, wanting to know what was going on. "Ariel, where are you going? What are you doing with these two?"

"I'm going to see Urusla," Ariel immediately answered, still concentrating on following Floatsam ad Jetsam.

Sebastian gasped in shock. He knew all too well what Ursula was capable of. "No, Ariel!" Sebastian protested, "You can't! She's a demon!"

"So go tell my father, because that seems to be like the only thing you're good at," Ariel retorted, completely ignoring Sebastian's protests, and swimming away from Sebastian's sight.

"This is not good," said Sebastian.

"What do we do?" asked the worried Flounder.

"We must find Sora and his friends," realized Sebastian, "They'll know what to do."

With their new objective in mind, Sebastian and Flounder immediately back off, at least for now. They knew all too well that they would be no match for Ursula, not to mention Floatsam and Jetsam. Sora and his friends should be able to help Ariel come back to her senses...

* * *

Elsewhere, Sora and his friends continued to swim around the world closest to Atlantis Palace. As they continued to look for any signs of Kairi's Heart Fragment, Sora and his friends couldn't help but also see how amazing the ocean world is. Compared to the upper world, this ocean world had a lot of beautiful sights to see. Kairi, was the one who was most intrigued by the beauty the sea life gave.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself, Princess," commented Sora, as he swam up to her.

"The corals and plants here are just so beautiful," said Kairi, as she took in the happy sight.

"Mog agrees, kupo," Mog said happily, "I wonder if they smell nice like Lenne's flowers."

"Well, I wouldn't know for sure, Mog, but some of these corals can be awfully painful to touch," Goofy cautioned Mog.

"Mog will be careful, kupo!" Mog responded happily.

"Sora! Everyone!"

The party turned their attention to the sound of a low-toned voice. To their surprise, they found Sebastian and Flounder rushing towards them. From the sound of their panting, they seem to be in a hurry of some kind.

"Flounder, Sebastian, what are you two doing here?" questioned Donald.

"It's Ariel!" Sebastian answered, "I think she's in trouble!"

"What!? What happened?" Sora asked.

Flounder and Sebastian started from the very beginning, from when Sora and his friends left to find Kairi's Heart Fragment. Sora and his friends heard everything, even the fact that King Triton lost his temper and destroyed every one of Ariel's prized collections, and up to the point of Ariel going so far as to meet with Ursula.

"So that's what happen, eh?" said Riku.

"Who is this Ursula?" asked the curious Kairi.

"Ursula was once a servant of King Triton, back before Ariel was even born," Sebastian began to explain, "But Ursula got power-hungry and plotted to take over King Triton's throne, and take his trident. You see, whoever holds the his trident, holds the power of the seven seas!"

"I see, so then Ursula wants to get Ariel to get back at King Triton, right?" hypothesized Riku.

"That's my best guess," Sebastian nodded, "But we can think about that later."

"Ariel is heading over to Ursula's place!" Flounder warned.

"Lead the way," Sora requested.

Without a second thought, Sebastian and Flounder immediately began to lead Sora and his friends to Ursula's dark castle.

* * *

Ariel continued to swim with Floatsam and Jetsam, until she ended up in another world. This world was a darker one, compared to her bright kingdom. There was absolutely no light to brighten up the area. The entire place was full of ominous smoke, coming from underwater geysers. Within this dark world, Ariel saw something that would put even fear in her kind heart, there was a castle that resembled a sea monster. Could this be where Ursula resides?

Ariel was about to leave upon seeing the monstrous image of the castle. "This way..." Floatsam and Jetsam continued to lead Ariel into the mouth of the dark castle. Although hesitant at first, she remembered why she was going to see Ursula in the first place.

The mermaid swam through the mouth of the castle, and was shocked to see what she saw next. On the ground, there were seaweeds, live seaweeds. These seaweeds, whatever they are, moaned and groaned in agony, as if they were in pain. Ariel's mind couldn't process what she was seeing. What kind of abominations are these? As she swam across, one of the seaweeds immediately grabbed her wrist, trying to pull her in. Ariel gasped in fear and tried to struggle the seaweed off of her, until the seaweeds grip released itself from her wrist.

**Come in... Come in, my darling...**

Ariel slowly turned her head to the sound of the voice, afraid of what she was about to encounter.

**We mustn't lurk at doorways...**

From out of the shadows, Ariel found herself face-to-face with the one person who was the most feared of the seven seas, Ursula, the sea witch.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora and his friends continued to follow after Sebastian and Flounder, until they found themselves in a dark world that Ariel passed through already. Kairi was immediatley frightened to see what kind of place is this. She never thought this kind of place could have existed in a beautiful world like this.

"Is Ariel here?" asked Sora.

"She's probably met up with Ursula by now," Sebastian theorized, "We'd best hurry, while we still can." Sebastian and Flounder continued to lead the way. However, the appearance of a dark group of beings emerged before them. "Whoa! What are these abominations!?"

"When did Ursula get these kinds of friends!?" asked the panicking Flounder.

"Sora, they're--" realized Kairi.

"Yes, they're Heartless!" exclaimed Sora, as he drew his Keyblade out, ready to fight. These Heartless resembled something of a disfigured jellyfish, which moved in a fluid-like motion.

"I'm guessing these things are trying to stop up from reaching Ursula," Riku hypothesized, as he drew out his sword.

"Then, we'll just have to force our way through!" Donald declared, before using his magic to vanquish the incoming Heartless, before more appeared in its place.

"Princess, please stay close to me," Sora requested.

"Okay," Kairi replied.

"You two go on ahead, we'll take cover you!" Goofy ordered Sebastian and Flounder.

"Okay, we'll try to save Ariel until you guys come and get us." With that said, Sebastian and Flounder made a run for it to try one more time to reason with Ariel, leaving Sora and his friends to deal with the Heartless fiends.

* * *

Ariel was still scared that she was face-to-face with the last person that she would want to meet. Being face-to-face with the infamous Ursula, she couldn't help but ask herself which was more scary about Ursula, the fact that she was a purple-skinned, octopus-legged, obese, old woman; or that she gave off a mysterious ominous aura.

"You're here because of a certain human, that you've taken a liking to," Ursula recalled, "Personally, I can't blame you. You certainly have good taste, my little angelfish. But, I have the answer to your problem. And I mean, ALL your problems. The only way to get what you want, is to become a human yourself."

Ariel gasped in surprise. She had never thought of such a thing. She had always dreamed of being able to see the outside world, but to become a human was just overwhelming. "Can you do that?" asked the bewildered Ariel.

Ursula could only smile evilly to herself. She was playing right into her hand... "My dear, sweet child," Ursula spoke up, moving towards the frightful Ariel, "That's what I do. It's what I live for. To help poor young mer-folks, like yourself."

Sebastian and Flounder arrived in time to see Ariel meeting up with Ursula. The duo immediately went to their hiding places, to see what is going on, before they could make their move.

"Now, here's the deal," Ursula began to explain, "I can turn you into a human for three days. Understand? Three days. But you must listen, because this is important." Ursula led Ariel to her cauldron, where it displayed dark magic. Within the cauldron, Ursula brought up three suns. "Before the sun sets on the third day, you must get your dear old princey to fall in love with you," Ursula instructed, "In other words, he's got to kiss you. But it's not just any kiss, it's a kiss of true love. And if he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you will remain human forever." Ariel was immediately drawn to this idea, even if it is coming from someone fiendish. "But, if that doesn't happen, you will turn back into a mermaid. And...you will belong...to me."

"No, Ariel!" Sebastian and Flounder tried to interfere with the deal, only to be stopped completely by Floatsam and Jetsam. The two eels wrapped themselves around the two, effectively restraining them and silencing them.

Ariel was about to rescue her friends, but Ursula kept her attention towards their deal. "Do we have a deal?" asked Ursula.

"......If I become human, I'll never be with my father or sisters again," Ariel finally realized.

"That's right," Ursula realized as well, "But then again, you'll have your man. Life is full of tough choices, don't you agree? Oh, and there is one more thing, we haven't discussed the form of payment. These things don't come cheap, after all."

"But I don't have--," Ariel was immediately silenced by one of Ursula's tentacles.

"I'm not asking much, my dear," Ursula interrupted, "Just a token. What I want is......your voice."

Now Ariel was shocked by the price. Ariel's voice was the most beautiful of them all, even greater than her elder sisters. Any man would fall for it. "My voice?" asked the shocked Ariel.

"You've got it, sweet cakes," nodded Ursula, "No more talking, singing, zip."

"But, without my voice, how will I--" Ariel tried to ask.

"Oh, does this mean that you're obviously not interested?" Ursula asked mockingly, "I'm sorry I even made the offer."

Ursula was about to slither away, only for Ariel to speak up once again. "Wait!" Ursula smiled evilly again. She knew that Ariel was so easy to manipulate. "Just tell me what I have to do."

"Wonderful!" Ursula exclaimed in joy. The sea witch then used her magic to make a gold pen and a contract appear before Ariel. "Just sign here, my dear. And I can make your wish come true."

Ariel was so reluctant to do this. She knew how much she was going to sacrifice, all for this one dream that she was dedicated to. Taking the pen in hand, Ariel turned her head away, and she began signing her own name.

"Ariel, no!" Flounder yelled in vain.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora and his friends continued to fight off the Heartless fiends. Too many Heartless were getting in their way. Every time one was defeated, more took its place. Despite the odds, however, Sora and his friends had managed to defeat the barrage of Heartless.

"Well, I guess that's all of them," Riku sighed in relief.

"We'd better hurry, who knows what's happening to Ariel right now," Sora reminded his friends.

"Then let's skedaddle, everyone!" announced Goofy.

Agreeing with Goofy, everyone immediately charged full speed towards Ursula's castle, determined to rescue Ariel from the evil clutches of the terrible sea witch.

* * *

Ariel finished signing her name. The price was high, but she couldn't bear to have any regrets now. This was her decision alone, even if it wasn't the correct way of making it. Floatsam and Jetsam released Sebastian and Flounder, now that the deal was finished.

"We have a deal then," Ursula said.

Using her dark magic, Ursula surrounded Ariel in a sort of wind tunnel. Ariel then felt her body undergo a metamorphisis, and she felt so many things disappearing from her. Not just the lower form of her body, but most important of all, her voice. Then, she felt her fish tail disappear, replacing itself with a pair of legs. For the first time, Ariel was able to pass for a human, but she could not understand how to use them.

Sora and his friends had arrived to see Ariel completely transformed. However, the transformation was not doing so well for Ariel. Ariel now wore a raggedy cloth around her body, now that she lost her natural form. However, she could swim like she used to anymore.

"She's going to drown!" Sora exclaimed.

Sora and Kairi immediately swam towards Ariel and pulled up the helpless princess out of Ursula's castle and towards the surface. Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Mog, Sebastian, and Flounder immediately followed after Sora and Kairi, to help Ariel to safety as well. Ursula could only laugh in triumph, as she watched them all run away. To Ursula, this day would mark a victory for her.

* * *

Thanks to Sora and Kairi, Ariel had made it to the surface of the ocean, finally able to breath in the outer, having sacrificed her mermaid life for a human one.

Ariel may have passed out from exhaustion, but at least, she will be okay, after some rest. After setting Ariel up on the land, Sora and Kairi immediately caught the sight of a man, walking onto the beach. The two teenagers quickly made a run for it before they could be caught.

Sora and Kairi regrouped with Riku and the others, who were hiding behind a large rock, out of sight from the man. As the man walked onto the beach, they immediately recognized who it was. It was the man, whose statue was carved in his image. This was the man that Ariel had fallen in love with. This man saw Ariel lying on the ground and immediately ran towards her to check up on her.

"Are you the girl?" asked the man, "Please, wake up." The man cradled Ariel in his arms, trying to wake her up.

Ariel began to stir around, upon hearing the sound of a man's voice. Her vision was blurry at first, until it began to regain its focus, and her first image was the man she was infatuated with. _**It's you! Where am I? Am I...on land?**_ Ariel immediately shot up from the ground and tried to stand. However, because she had just received her legs, she didn't know what it was like to even stand on one. _**Whoa! This...this doesn't feel right...**_ Ariel did all she could to manage her legs, but being human for the first time had its limits. She was almost about to fall over, until the man caught her hand and pulled her into his arms, helping her regain her balance.

"Whoa, easy there," the man calmed Ariel.

Ariel looked up to see it was the same man. Now that she was right there, face-to-face with him, she had to tell him what happened, and her feelings for him. _**It's really you! Please listen to me, my name is Ariel. I'm...**_ Ariel tried to speak these words, but she remembered what happened. _**That's right... I sacrificed my voice to become human...**_

"What's wrong?" asked the man, "You can't speak?"

Ariel shook her head shamefully. _**No, I can't...**_

"Oh..." The man realized, feeling sorry for her, "Well, where did you come from?"

Ariel wasn't sure how to answer this question. She wasn't sure if this man would believe her. _**I wish I could tell you, but when the time is right, I promise...I'll tell you everything...**_

"Come on, I'll take to my home," the man offered, taking Ariel by her hand, "My name is Eric, by the way."

Seeing that everything is going well, Sora and his friends immediately submerged themselves, leaving Ariel alone with Eric. They'd be back later to check up on her.

* * *

Sora and his friends swam to an underwater courtyard.

"It looks like everything is going smoothly, kupo!" Mog said happily, "Maybe Ariel will live happily ever after!"

"It's not as simply as you think," Sebastian spoke up.

"Sebastian, tell us what happened," Donald requested.

Sebastian, with the help of Flounder, told Sora and his party everything that happened. He told them about how Ursula offered Ariel to turn her into a human, for the sacrifice of her voice, up until what has transpired now.

"So that's what happened, huh?" said Riku, "Mog, isn't that similar to how Lulu does things?"

"No," Mog replied, "Lulu would never make that kind of offer, kupo."

"Maybe we should tell King Triton about this?" asked Goofy.

"I wouldn't count on that," Riku responded, "With everything that's just happened today, I think it will just make things worst."

"Yes, Riku is right," Sebastian agreed, "It's best if we kept this a secret for now."

"What should we do in the meantime?" asked Sora.

"All we can do now is just be there for Ariel and take care of her, until we can find a way out of this," Sebastian explained.

"I think so, too," nodded Kairi.

"What about Ursula?" asked Donald.

"She's going to be a tough one," said Sebastian, "But she's the only one who can fix this mess."

"Then, I'll just have to search for her," Sora said with determination.

"Not alone, you won't!" said Donald, "You're going to need some help, too."

"We'll be right behind you, Sora," Goofy spoke up as well.

"Thanks, guys," Sora nodded.

"Sora, if it's okay, I'd like to stay and look after Ariel," Kairi offered.

"If that's what you wish, then okay," nodded Sora.

"Thank you, Sora," Kairi smiled in satisfaction.

"Don't worry, about a thing, Sora," Riku assured, "I'll stay with her, too."

"Pluto, Mog, you two stay with Ariel, too, okay?" requested Donald.

"Roger, kupo!" Mog cheered happily, with Pluto barking in agreement.

"Good luck, guys! We'll be here waiting for you!" Flounder announced as Sora, Donald, and Goofy swam off in search of Ursula.

Things may be looking up for Ariel for now, but it was only a matter of time before it will disappear. Ursula is the only way out, and Sora must find her, before things can look bleak for Ariel's future, and possibly her dreams...

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	34. The Noble Sacrifice

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**"Now, here's the deal," Ursula began to explain, "I can turn you into a human for three days. Understand? Three days. But you must listen, because this is important." Ursula led Ariel to her cauldron, where it displayed dark magic. Within the cauldron, Ursula brought up three suns. "Before the sun sets on the third day, you must get your dear old princey to fall in love with you," Ursula instructed, "In other words, he's got to kiss you. But it's not just any kiss, it's a kiss of true love. And if he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you will remain human forever." Ariel was immediately drawn to this idea, even if it is coming from someone fiendish. "But, if that doesn't happen, you will turn back into a mermaid. And...you will belong...to me."**

**"No, Ariel!" Sebastian and Flounder tried to interfere with the deal, only to be stopped completely by Floatsam and Jetsam. The two eels wrapped themselves around the two, effectively restraining them and silencing them.**

**Ariel was about to rescue her friends, but Ursula kept her attention towards their deal. "Do we have a deal?" asked Ursula.**

**"......If I become human, I'll never be with my father or sisters again," Ariel finally realized.**

**"That's right," Ursula realized as well, "But then again, you'll have your man. Life is full of tough choices, don't you agree? Oh, and there is one more thing, we haven't discussed the form of payment. These things don't come cheap, after all."**

**"But I don't have--," Ariel was immediately silenced by one of Ursula's tentacles.**

**"I'm not asking much, my dear," Ursula interrupted, "Just a token. What I want is......your voice."**

* * *

**"Maybe we should tell King Triton about this?" asked Goofy.**

**"I wouldn't count on that," Riku responded, "With everything that's just happened today, I think it will just make things worst."**

**"Yes, Riku is right," Sebastian agreed, "It's best if we kept this a secret for now."**

**"What should we do in the meantime?" asked Sora.**

**"All we can do now is just be there for Ariel and take care of her, until we can find a way out of this," Sebastian explained.**

**"I think so, too," nodded Kairi.**

**"What about Ursula?" asked Donald.**

**"She's going to be a tough one," said Sebastian, "But she's the only one who can fix this mess."**

**"Then, I'll just have to search for her," Sora said with determination.**

**"Not alone, you won't!" said Donald, "You're going to need some help, too."**

**"We'll be right behind you, Sora," Goofy spoke up as well.**

**"Thanks, guys," Sora nodded.**

* * *

_**Chapter 34: The Noble Sacrifice  
**_

* * *

Morning came. It's been hours since Ariel's transformation. Kairi, Riku, Sebastian, Flounder, Pluto, and Mog continued their job of looking after Ariel, whenever she came to the beach with Eric, the prince of her dreams. Ariel had gotten used to her newly received legs. She was able to pass for a human being, now that she had acquired the ability to walk perfectly, compared to the last time she tried. Although Ariel could no longer speak, she enjoyed listening to Eric's stories. Thanks to some "secret" help from Sebastian, the crab managed to work behind the scenes on the beach, revealing Ariel's name to Eric.

Sora and the rest of the party continued their job of searching for Ursula, in hopes that they might find a way to help Ariel's condition. While it may be great that Ariel is spending time with the man of her dreams, it would do no good if her voice is missing. Ariel can't spend most of her time being a mute, while Eric is the one doing most of the talking.

"Things sure are going smoothly," Riku commented, as he watched the scene from a safe place with the others.

"Yes," Kairi nodded, "Even though Ariel can't talk, she seems to be enjoying herself."

"Things would be a lot better if she can at least talk," said Sebastian.

"Sora and the others will be able to find her," assured Flounder, "Right now, we just have to take care of Ariel until they get back."

"Well, I sure hope they find Ursula soon," Sebastian wished, "It pains me to see Ariel like this."

"Don't worry, kupo," Mog assured, "Sora will be here with Goofy and the Octo-duck, before you know it!"

* * *

As Sora, Donald, and Goofy began searching the sea for any sightings of Ursula, Donald suddenly sneezed, causing Sora and Goofy to be alert. This was rather unusual. How was it that Donald could sneeze underwater. It was highly doubtful that anyone could catch a cold in this kind of world.

"It's either Riku or that dumb plush toy that is talking behind my back..." Donald grumbled in annoyance.

With that said, Donald resumed his search with his friends, all while still having his suspicions of Riku or Mog talking behind his back.

Searching at this rate was going to take quite a long time. Sora and his friends have tried to search Ursula's dark castle, but she was nowhere to be found. The entire place was deserted. The only things that were lingering about were the moaning seaweeds that filled the hallways.

"Just what are these things?" pondered Goofy.

"Whatever they are, they look like they're upset about something," Donald commented, as he inspected the living seaweeds.

"Well, in any case, it doesn't look like Ursula is here," said Sora, as he finished surveying the entire castle and regrouping with his friends, "Let's go try somewhere else."

"Okay," replied Donald.

With nothing left to do, Sora led Donald and Goofy out of Ursula's castle to search for other places that Ursula might be hiding.

* * *

Meanwhile, a day had passed and Ariel continued to spend her time with Eric. They had returned to the beach to do more talking, or rather, for Eric to tell her more stories about his life, his dreams, etc. As usual, Ariel had no choice, but to listen. In the evening, Eric had invited Ariel over for a nighttime boat ride at the beach, underneath the shining moon. Unbeknownst to them, Kairi and the rest of the party, minus Sora, Donald, and Goofy, watched from a safe distance.

As they continued to watch, Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrived to where Kairi and the others were hanging out at.

"How did your search go, Sora?" asked Kairi.

"Not good," replied Sora, "We don't know where Ursula hiding."

"We've searched high and low for her, too," Goofy added.

"How is everything going here?" asked Donald.

"Ariel seems to be enjoying herself, kupo!" Mog replied happily, "They make a cute couple already!"

"It's almost that time for Ariel," informed Flounder.

"Time for what?" asked Riku.

"Ursula told Ariel that if she doesn't get Eric's kiss by three days, Ariel will become Ursula's slave forever," explained Flounder, "And she has until tomorrow."

"Then we'd better find her, and fast!" exclaimed Goofy.

"By the way, where's Sebastian?" Sora wondered, noticing that Sebastian was not around.

"Sebastian had to go see King Triton," answered Kairi.

"I'm guessing it's because King Triton hasn't seen Ariel for a while," realized Riku, "If he finds out about what happened to Ariel, he's going to blow his lid off again, and I'm betting it's going to be really nasty than before."

"Considering that we kept this whole thing a secret," Sora added.

Pluto then barked excitedly, grabbing everyone's attention. "What is it, Pluto?" asked Mog. Pluto, using his fins, pointed out into the distant.

The party turned their attention to where Pluto was pointing at. They realized what Pluto was pointing out. Ariel and Eric were seemingly getting closer and closer. Could this really be? Is Ariel about to kiss the prince of her dreams? The party couldn't help but stay in suspense as they inched closer and closer, even going so far as closing their eyes as they inched towards each other.

Unfortunately, before their lips could touch each other, the boat itself merely tipped over, shocking Sora and his friends. Before Sora and his friends could help Eric and Ariel, they immediately saw that it was not necessary. Eric had already helped Ariel back to the beach, helping her back to her feet, while in the process.

"Mog was looking forward to a kiss, kupo," Mog spoke sadly.

"She was so close, too," said Donald, snapping his fingers in disappointment.

"We don't have much time before tomorrow," Sora reminded Donald and Goofy, "We'd better continue our search."

"Hurry back, you three!" Flounder pleaded.

"Leave everything to us!" Goofy saluted.

"Good luck, Sora," Kairi bidded.

"Thank you, Princess," responded Sora.

"Hey, Sora, why don't you take Pluto with you?" asked Riku, "His nose will probably help you out."

"Hey, why didn't we think of that?" Goofy realized.

"We're counting on you, Pluto," said Donald, earning a fin salute from Pluto. Pluto immediately got his nose to work and began to use his tracking skills to find Ursula, leading Donald and Goofy ahead.

"See you all soon!" Sora waved, before following after his own party.

As Sora and his party left, Kairi, Riku, Mog, and Flounder continued their watch over Ariel. Unknown to everyone, Floatsam and Jetsam lurked away from the scene, shaking each other's tails in victory. Apparently, it was them who knocked over the boat, thus preventing Ariel from breaking the curse...

* * *

It was the last day. Morning started off as usual for Ariel. Ariel had been living in a mansion that belonged to Eric. It was a very luxurious mansion, considering that this whole place belonged to the prince. As she saw the sun shining brightly outside of her balcony, she realized that today was the last day she would have to break the curse Ursula placed upon her. This time, she had to succeed with Eric.

_**Today's that time. This time, I have show him my feelings. ...Today's a good day.**_ Ariel got up from her bed and went to her mirror, fixing her bed hair, so as to not embarrass herself when she shows Eric her true feelings.

* * *

Ariel then rushed downstairs to meet up with Eric, still feeling enthusiastic about today being a good day. However, before she was able to reach the first floor of the mansion, she heard voices of two men. Staying on the stairs, but away from plain sight, Ariel spied on Eric and his servant, Grimsby.

Ariel noticed that Eric was dressed in a formal attire, however, something was amiss about him. _**Who is that girl with him?**_ Ariel noticed that there was a mysterious woman by his side, with her arm latched around his left.

"Well, Eric, it seems I was mistaken," said Grimsby, "It appears that your mystery maiden _does_ exist. And she is very lovely." Ariel couldn't believe what she was hearing and seeing. Eric was in love with this woman!? Grimsby took the woman's hand and politely shook it. "Congratulations, my dear."

"We wish to be married as soon as possible," Eric requested. Ariel was now beyond shocked. She was devastated. This couldn't be happening to her. Not now.

"Oh, yes...of course, Eric," responded the surprised Grimsby, "...But, er, these things do take time, you know..."

"This afternoon, Grimsby," ordered Eric, "The wedding ship departs at sunset."

"Oh, oh...very well, Eric," nodded Grimsby, "As you wish..."

Ariel broke down in tears, after hearing the whole thing. _**This can't be... Eric...why...?**_ Having heard enough, Ariel ran back to her room, crying silently, as her heart was broken, maybe beyond repair. She realized now that she is going to be Ursula's slave, but more than that, her dream was completely crushed...for good.

Unknown to Ariel, the woman seemed to have noticed Ariel running back to her room. The woman could only chuckle silently to herself, as she eyed her necklace that had a seashell on it. Strangely, this seashell was glowing...

"Grimsby, until the wedding it ready, we are going to take a walk by the beach," Eric notified.

"Very well, Eric," nodded Grimsby.

* * *

Back on the beach, Ariel continued to sob silently by the beach. This was proof that a broken heart can be more devastating than a physical wound. Ariel couldn't comprehend what was happening anymore. She didn't know where to turn, or where to go. She had nothing now. Nothing to lose.

As Ariel continued to sob, Kairi, Riku, Mog, Sebastian, and Flounder appeared at the beach to check on Ariel. Unfortunately, they came in at a bad time. They found the Atlantica princess sobbing alone, hugging her knees. The group headed towards Ariel to check up on her.

Kairi was the first person to approach Ariel. "What's wrong, Ariel?" asked the concerned Kairi.

Ariel looked up to see Kairi and her friends looking at her with concern. Even Flounder and Sebastian were concerned for her as well. "It's Eric, isn't it?" Riku suspected.

Ariel immediately cried in her knees, with Kairi placing comforting arms around the sobbing princess. "I'm so sorry, Ariel," Kairi frowned.

"Oh...I can't imagine the pain, my child," said Sebastian, "But, I am truly sorry."

"Mog is sorry, too, kupo," Mog said sadly, rolling his unbreakable bubble next to Ariel.

Just as the group tried to comfort Ariel; Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto appeared on the surface and regrouped with the rest of their friends. "How did everything go?" Flounder asked.

"We looked everywhere," replied Sora, "Ursula isn't around. It's like she just vanished."

"Is everything okay?" asked Goofy.

"We found Ariel like this when we went to go check up on her," informed Kairi, "It seems like she and Eric are having problems."

Suddenly, the group looked off to the side, where Eric usually enters. The group found Eric walking arm-in-arm with the mysterious woman, wearing an expressionless face. The woman by his side seemed to enjoy his company. Yet, for some odd reason, there was something odd.

"Sora, look!" Flounder pointed out. Flounder remembered something about the whole incident with Ariel's deal with Ursula. When Ariel sacrificed her voice for a chance of humanity, Ursula kept her voice in a seashell. "I recognized that seashell. That's Ursula! She must have turned into that girl!"

"Oh yeah!?" Donald, having seen enough of Ursula's tricks, used his magic wand to summon a fire spell. A small fireball appeared on his wand and launched itself towards Ursula's necklace.

Ursula was not expecting anything, she jumped in complete surprise when she saw a fireball heading towards her. However, it was too fast for her to dodge it. Donald's fire spell hit its mark. Ursula's seashell shattered completely, freeing a beautiful singing voice from its captivity. Eric seemed to have snapped out of his thoughts, upon the destruction of Ursula's seashell.

Ariel, on the other hand, recognized the sound of familiar voice. _**That voice... Could it be...?**_ The voice was getting louder and louder. When she got up from the ground, she saw a gold trace of energy heading towards her. That's when she realized what was happening. Suddenly, she felt the sudden return of her voice. "I......I...can...talk..." Ariel was surprised by the return of her voice. It felt too good for her to speak once again.

Eric continued to shake off the effects of his trance, until he regained his vision and saw Ariel. "Ariel?" said Eric.

"Eric!" Ariel was overjoyed to see Eric back to normal again.

"Ariel, you can talk!" Eric was happy to hear Ariel's voice, for the first time. Actually, Eric heard this voice before. That's when he finally realized it. Sora and the others decided it was time for them to hide, so that Eric would see them. "You're the one." Eric hastily approached Ariel, taking her hands in his. "You're the one all along."

"Oh, Eric, I wanted to tell you all this time," confessed Ariel.

Unfortunately, everyone was too distracted to realize the time. As soon as the sun changed its colors, Ariel felt her legs disappear, much to her shock and Eric's surprise. It was too late. Ariel was no longer a human. She was back to the way she was, shocking Eric.

"You're too late!" Ursula cackled, "YOU'RE TOO LATE!!" Seeing her opportunity, Ursula destroyed her human form to reveal her true, grotesque form. Ursula then rushed towards the fallen mermaid and immediately grabbed her in her arms. "So long, lover boy," Ursula mocked Eric, before diving with her hostage.

"Ariel!" Eric yelled out.

Sora and the others saw what happened and immediately submerged themselves underwater to go after the sea witch. There was no way they were going to let Ursula turn Ariel into her slave.

* * *

Ursula roughly tugged Ariel with her, heading towards her dark castle.

"Poor little princess," said Ursula, "It's not you that I'm after. I'm after bigger fish to--"

"Ursula, stop!!" King Triton suddenly appeared before Ursula, pointing his trident towards the sea witch in a threatening manner.

Behind Ursula, Sora and the others had managed to catch up, in time to see that King Triton has Ursula right where he wants her, right in front of her trident.

"Why, King Triton, how are you?" Ursula mockingly greeted.

"Release her!" commanded King Triton.

"Not a chance, Triton, she's mine now!" Ursula then released her into Floatsam and Jetsam's custody, as the two eels appeared by her side. Using their tails, the Floatsam and Jetsam restrained Ariel, as Ursula brought out a rolled up sheet of paper. "We made a deal."

King Triton saw it all, complete with Ariel's signature. "Daddy, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. I didn't know--!"

King Triton had seen enough. He didn't care if Ariel's signature was on a sea witch's contract. Although Ariel made a foolish wish to someone as evil as Ursula, King Triton was not going to let Ursula win. Deal or no deal, King Triton was not going to lose his daughter! Harnessing the power of his trident, King Triton blasted a beam of energy towards the contract, vowing to break the deal, and thus, freeing his daughter from Ursula's clutches. The beam was enough to send Ursula into a rock. Unfortunately, despite its powerful magic, the trident itself did not destroy the contract, not even a burn mark appeared.

Ursula could only laugh at King Triton's futile attempts to free his daughter. "You see? This is a binding contract. It is completely unbreakable. Not even YOU could even hope to destroy it. ...Of course, I am willing to make a bargain. The daughter of the great sea king is a rare collection. But...I am willing to trade her for someone better..."

King Triton knew full well what Ursula wanted. He knew all too well of her grudge against him. Sora and the others knew what King Triton was thinking. "King Triton, no! Don't do it!"

"...Sora...I'm afraid I have no choice," said King Triton, "As Ariel's father, I must protect my daughter...even at the cost of my life." Using his trident, King Triton turned away and used the magical powers of his trident to replace Ariel's signature with his own, thus sealing deal, once again.

"Ha! It's done then!" Ursula yelled in victory.

Using her magical powers, Ursula summoned a magical whirlpool, which surrounded King Triton. King Triton was completely helpless against the magic. He was unable to break free.

"We've got to get him out of there!" exclaimed Donald.

"Princess, please hide somewhere safe," requested Sora, as he drew his Keyblade.

"Okay," nodded Kairi. Kairi swam away with Flounder, Mog, Pluto, and Sebastian, and safely hid behind a rock, away from the danger zone.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku swam towards King Triton, hoping to get the helpless Triton out of his captivity. Unfortunately, the force of the whirlpool was too strong for anyone to get close to. When the whirlpool cleared, all that was left was a fallen crown, a fallen trident, and a withered, living seaweed. Sora and his friends were shocked to see what kind of abomination King Triton was transformed into.

"Your Majesty..." the shocked Sebastian said quietly.

"Oh my goodness..." Kairi covered her mouth with her hands in shock.

"Daddy..." Ariel was shocked beyond belief. She couldn't believe what happened to her father.

Ursula swam over to where King Triton was and picked up his crown and his trident, the very thing that he was also protective of, next to his daughter. "At last...it's mine..." Ursula laughed in victory upon placing the crown on her head, as she had finally defeated her arch-nemesis, once and for all.

Ariel had finally had enough. It was one thing to try to destroy her dream, but to turn her father into an abomination crosses the line. "You monster!" Ariel quickly swam towards Ursula and quickly wrapped her arms around her neck, trying to strangle the sea witch, in revenge for desecrating her father.

Ursula, however, was too powerful for her and the sea witch forced her off her back. As Ariel fell to the ground, Ursula pointed the trident threateningly towards Ariel. "Don't mess with me, you little brat! Contract or no--" Ursula yelped in pain as she felt a sharp pain move quickly across her right arm. Looking up, she saw who the hero was. Eric had thrown a spear towards Ursula, wounding her right arm. "Why you little troll!"

"Eric, look out!" Ariel warned.

"After him!" Ursula ordered Floatsam and Jetsam.

Eric quickly swam back to the surface, with Floatsam and Jetsam chasing after the human, determined to kill the man for wounding their mistress. Before the two eels could reach Eric; Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku blocked their way, with their weapons ready. "That's enough!" exclaimed Sora.

"You're going to have to force us out of the way," challenged Riku.

"That can be arranged..." Ursula took the trident in hand and took aim towards the group. With one successful blast, she was sure that it would vanquish Sora and his friends. Unknown to the sea witch, Pluto saw what was about to happen and immediately swam up towards Floatsam and Jetsam. Catching the two eels off guard, Pluto made a giant tail-swipe, successfully hitting both eels at the same time. Floatsam and Jetsam plummeted towards Ursula, who had already fired a blast, not realizing that Floatsam and Jetsam were already caught in the crossfire. Floatsam and Jetsam yelped in pain as surges of energy hit them, shocking the eels, until they were nothing bones. "Babies!" exclaimed the shocked Ursula. Ariel seized the opportunity to swim away from Ursula and back to Eric. Ursula brought her hands out to catch the remains of her pets. "My poor, little poopsies..." Ursula was now enraged. Sora and his friends had gone too far now.

"Uh oh, I think you made her mad, Pluto," Riku pointed out.

Ursula, unexpectedly began to grow larger and larger. Sora and his friends immediately swam out of the way, back to where Kairi and the rest were hiding.

"Sora, what's happening?" asked the worried Kairi.

"I don't know, but I think it has something to do with the trident she has," theorized Sora, "Princess, it's not safe here. Please head to the palace."

"Please be careful, Sora," requested Kairi.

"Don't worry, Princess," nodded Sora.

"Pluto, Mog, make sure the Princess is safe, okay?" said Goofy.

Pluto barked in agreement. "You can count on us, kupo!" Mog cheered.

"Let's get out of here, everyone!" Sebastian warned.

Kairi left the area with the rest of the group, leaving Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku to finish off Ursula once and for all, who continued to grow, until she was gigantic.

* * *

Ariel rose up to the surface to find Eric waiting for her. The skies had given way to darkness.

"Eric, you have to get out of here!" exclaimed the worried Ariel.

"No, Ariel, I won't leave you!" exclaimed Eric, as he held Ariel in his arms.

The couple then felt rumbling, until they found themselves standing right on top of the gigantic Ursula, who cackled at the power she now held. Eric and Ariel immediately jumped off of Ursula's crown. "You insignificant fools!" Ursula roared, "I rule the seas now! The waves obey my every command! The seas and all its spoils bow to my power!" Using the power of the trident, Ursula used the waves to separate Eric and Ariel. Eric was thrown off away from Ariel, now helpless to protect her. Ariel was completely on her own now. Once again using the power of the trident, Ursula created a whirlpool around Ariel. Some of the whirlpools brought up several destroyed ships. The whirlpool continued to spin Ariel around until the whirlpool itself opened its way to the ocean floor. There was no water to swim in, and Ariel was completely trapped. Ursula, staying true to her cruel, evil nature, used the trident to finish off Ariel for good. Despite no water to swim in, Ariel jumped out of the way of the blasts that Ursula gave off.

Ursula seemed to be having the time of her life, until she was hit by two gigantic fire spells in the face, temporarily blinding the sea witch. Ariel looked up to see that Ursula was unable to see for a while. Then, out of nowhere, Goofy appeared by her side. "This way, Ariel!" Goofy turned around to show Ariel his tail. Thanks to Goofy's form, he was able to adapt to land. Ariel then grabbed Goofy's tail. Goofy held out his fin and Riku's hand appeared to pull Goofy and Ariel in. Now that Ariel was able to swim again, Riku and Goofy led Ariel to a safe location, while giving Sora and Donald a thumbs-up. Apparently, Sora and Donald were the ones who unleashed the fire spell on Ursula.

Ursula continued to rub the pain off of her eyes, desperate to try to destroy her enemies once and for all. Unbeknownst to her, she never realized that there was a shipwreck heading her way, with its broken nose pointed towards her. And Eric was controlling the ship. Eric was determined to stop Ursula from terrorizing not only the entire sea, but Ariel. Ursula finally regained her vision, but failed to react in time to see a shipwreck charging towards her. The shipwreck impaled the sea witch, leaving Ursula to scream in agony. Ursula's entire body surged with unstable energy, as she was losing the power of the trident. Soon, Ursula's entire body turned into an black cloud of smoke, until finally, Ursula was no more and her evil powers had vanquished.

Eric, on the other hand, had managed to make it out alive. However, he used up all his strength to swim to shore and fell down on the beach unconscious.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Ursula's castle, the living seaweeds that have been moaning in agony had finally ceased. Soon, every living seaweed took on another transformation. In actuality, these living seaweeds were actually mermaids that have struck deals with Ursula in the past. Now that Ursula was no longer among the living, every mermaid that Ursula captured were now set free.

* * *

King Triton's trident descended slowly towards the withered seaweed that was King Triton. Upon landing in front of him, King Triton regained his original form, once again, and took the trident back in his hands.

* * *

In the morning, Ariel sat on a rock, as she watched her beloved Eric, laying unconscious on the beach. Ariel's expression could be classified as being sad. Although her friends and Eric had stopped Ursula from enslaving the entire sea, her dreams had also gone along with it. She was a mermaid for life now, and there was nothing that could change that, no matter how much she wanted. She wanted so much to be with Eric, but how can she live with him, if she is a mermaid?

Sora and his friends, along with King Triton, Sebastian, and Flounder watched Ariel, as she continued to watch Eric.

"Sora, please tell me, does she really love him?" asked King Triton.

"Honestly speaking...yes, she is," Sora replied politely.

"It's just her nature," Riku added, "She freely chose who she wanted. Love doesn't discriminate between two worlds. It can happen anywhere."

"You know, King Triton, I know I probably shouldn't say this, but children should be free, to lead their own lives, even Ariel," explained Goofy.

"......It is a fact, isn't it?" pondered King Triton, "...Then, it would be all too difficult for me."

"Why is that?" asked Donald.

"Because...I would miss her too much," confessed King Triton, "If Ariel loves this man to her hearts content, then...I have no right to stop it. Even as a king, it is not in my place to forbid it. I just wish there was some way to make Ariel happy..."

The group pondered for a while. Now that Ursula was gone, there would be no one left to grant anyone's wish. However, Mog hopped up to King Triton in his unbreakable bubble. "Mog has an idea, kupo!" Mog spoke up.

"An idea, you say?" asked the puzzled King Triton.

"Mog knows someone who can help you and Ariel," informed Mog, "She grants wishes, but it's a lot better than Ursula's."

"A lot better than Ursula's..." King Triton was immediately intrigued Mog's idea. King Triton then picked up Mog's bubble, bringing the moogle to eye level. "Please, tell me everything, little one."

* * *

Having heard everything, Mog opened a viewing window, summong Lulu. Lulu, while still in her respective world, was sitting outside of her hut, enjoying whatever activity that was going on in her world.

"Ah, Mog, it's nice to see you again," Lulu greeted.

"It's nice to see you, too, kupo!" Mog said happily.

"Is there something you needed?" asked Lulu.

"There's someone here to see you," Mog notified.

King Triton moved towards the viewing window. "I am King Triton, the ruler of Atlantica. Your friend, Mog, has informed me of your abilities. It is an honor to meet you, Sorceress."

"Likewise, King Triton," responded Lulu, "If you're here, then it must mean you have a wish, correct?"

"Yes, I do," nodded King Triton.

"What is your wish?" questioned Lulu.

King Triton moved aside to present his daughter, who still sat on a rock. "My daughter...she has fallen for that man you see on the land," explained King Triton, "Although I originally forbade their love, I realized that love is a powerful feeling that even I can't control. And so, as her father...I wish for her happiness. ...I want Ariel to lead a happy life of her own."

"So be it," said Lulu, "Of course, there is a sacrifice required."

"Yes, Mog has informed me of that, as well," King Triton recalled. Then, unexpectedly, King Triton presented his trident to Lulu, shocking Sebastian and Flounder.

"Your Majesty!" exclaimed the shocked Sebastian.

"I willingly sacrifice my trident," declared King Triton, "Once I found out about her love for that man, I used this trident for the wrong reasons. I have shown Ariel the side of me that should never had been revealed. If I hadn't caused her any trouble, Ursula would never had tried to enslave her. And so, I leave my trident in your hands."

With Mog's help, the trident itself turned into a small ball of light. The small ball of light entered Mog's mouth. In Lulu's world, the sorceress held her hands out, until King Triton's trident appeared right in her hands. "It's a little much, but it suffices," said Lulu. Lulu then turned around and walked towards a chest. When Lulu opened her chest, she picked up a small blue bottle. Using another transfer, Lulu sent the this blue bottle to King Triton. King Triton, thanks to Mog, received the blue bottle. "Ariel must drink that potion, in order to gain her humanity. But you must know, once Ariel drinks that potion, she will remain a human permanently. Before Ariel drinks it, you must be sure that this is what Ariel wants."

"...I understand." It was now time for the ultimate decision...

* * *

Ariel silently watched Eric, until the sound of her father, snapped her out of her trance.

"Ariel..." King Triton spoke up.

"Daddy..." Ariel then moved off of the rock and moved into her father's embrace, crying softly. "I'm so sorry, Daddy. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble."

King Triton gently wiped Ariel's tears from her eyes. "If anything, Ariel, I should be the one to apologize," confessed King Triton, "None of this wouldn't have happened if I wasn't so arrogant. It was my prejudice against humans that caused all this. You are not at fault, Ariel. Therefore, I want to earn your forgiveness." King Triton revealed the potion that Lulu had given him. "Mog's friend has given me this potion to help you. This will make your dreams come true. But once you drink this, you must live in the other world, for good. Think well, Ariel, because this will be a new life for you. Is this what you really want?"

Ariel thought about it. Sure, it was her dream, but then again, she wouldn't see her home again. However, King Triton was tell her to follow her dreams, lead her own life. This was enough to show that King Triton approves of her love. Unexpectedly, Ariel embraced her father. "No matter what, Daddy, no matter where I am, I'll never forget where I came from. And I'll never forget my father's love." King Triton placed his arms around her, embracing his daughter, as if this were the last time he would ever hold his daughter.

* * *

Elsewhere, in a dark world, Xemnas watched the whole scene. He had been curious about this "new life" since Sora and the others had landed there. Now, Xemnas knew what a "new life" is.

The way Xemnas saw it, for Ariel, this was the end of her mermaid life, but it is also the beginning of her human life.

* * *

After what seemed to be a minute, King Triton handed Ariel the potion.

Taking the potion in hand, Ariel took a deep breath, and began to consume the potion. Although the potion was not exactly thirst quenching, she could feel the potion working. She felt her mermaid tail disappearing, and soon, she began to feel something very familiar. King Triton gently kept her afloat as Ariel had suddenly felt her legs, once again. Soon, her body was then covered with a sparkling gown.

Unexpectedly, as the remnant of Ariel's mermaid tail disappeared, a stream of pure light into the air rose into the air, revealing the very thing Sora and his friends were looking for. Using his Keyblade, Sora used the stream of light from the Keyblade to lock the Keyhole, and in return, a fragment of light emerged from the Keyhole and levitated into Sora's hand. They finally found Kairi's Heart Fragment.

"We've finally found it," noted Sora, as he gazed the Heart Fragment.

"Sora, is this the thing you've been searching for?" asked Ariel.

"Yes, it is," replied Sora.

"Ariel, it's time to claim your man," smiled Riku.

"You're going to have a happy ending, kupo!" Mog cheered.

"Go get 'em, Ariel!" Donald declared.

"Go to him," requested King Triton, before letting her go, where she would walk on her own to the love of her life.

Before letting go, Ariel hugged her father again, before whispering. "Thank you, Daddy." Tears of happiness leaked from King Triton's eyes. He was truly happy for his daughter.

As Eric regained consciousness, he rose up in time to see something so beautiful. He found Ariel rising up from the ocean, like a living miracle of the sea world. Eric couldn't believe his eyes. Ariel was back, and in human form, once again. Running to the beautiful red-haired woman, Eric threw his arms around her. Eric and Ariel embraced each other, happy that they are reunited. Soon, for the first time in their lives, their lips were soon connected to each others.

_**Sora, Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Mog.....thank you...**_

* * *

Meanwhile, with their mission complete, Sora approached the Princess and present the Heart Fragment to her. Her Heart Fragment levitated out of Sora's hand and towards Kairi, which merged into Kairi's body. As Kairi regained a piece of her heart, she began to recall a forgotten memory...

* * *

_It was nighttime at the palace of Destiny Islands. In the garden of the palace, Little Kairi knelt down before what seemed to be a makeshift grave, with a grave marker. Recently, the sand bunny that Little Kairi took in had passed away. Little Kairi was so fond of the sand bunny. She had so much fun taking care of her pet, sleeping with it, and playing with it. And now, here lies her very pet. Little Kairi's heart was crushed. She held a great amount of sadness in her heart, having lost a friend._

_"What is the matter Princess Kairi?"_

_Little Kairi looked behind her to see her grandfather, Ansem the Wise, standing before her. "Grandfather..." Little Kairi couldn't contain her sadness any longer. Running to her grandfather, she cried deeply into his embrace. "He...he died, Grandfather," Little Kairi cried, "Grandfather, please...please ask the high priest to bring him back to life. Please!" Little Kairi pleaded._

_Ansem the Wise saw how sad his granddaughter was, and it broke his heart to see her sad. However... "As much as I want to...I cannot do such a thing." Little Kairi didn't understand why her grandfather refused to have her pet resurrected. Ansem the Wise then knelt before her to meet eye level and placed comforting hands on her shoulders. "Those who have lost their lives can never truly come back." As much as Little Kairi didn't want to understand it, she knew that her grandfather speaks the truth, no matter how harsh it may be. "That is why living such a good life is such a wonderful gift." Little Kairi understood it now. Her pet really did live such a wonderful life. Her pet got to meet her. The sand bunny still had a great time with the Princess, even when its time came. "Never forget that lesson, even when his time came," said Ansem the Wise, as he gently wiped Little Kairi's tears._

_"...Okay," Little Kairi said, with a small smile._

_Ansem the Wise then offered up his prayer, along with his granddaughter. As they held a moment of silence for a fallen friend, Little Kairi heard a familiar sound. It was the sound of her sand bunny mewing lovingly to the Princess. _

_It was a sound that she would never forget._

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

* * *

**Happy Easter, to all the writers and readers of !**


	35. The Chocobo Race

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

Sora stood alone in a dark world. There was no source of light, whatsoever. And what's worst, Kairi or the others were nowhere to be found. As he looked around his dark surroundings, he managed to sense a mysterious presence behind him. Could it be the Heartless?

"Who's there!?" Sora called out.

Before Sora, there was a figure floating before him. It was a teenaged boy, about his age, wearing a black-hooded trenchcoat. On the teenaged boy's face, there was an eye-patch that covered his left eye.

**Sora... Sora...**

"This voice..." Sora somehow recognized it. Yet, he couldn't place his finger on it. Why did this voice sound so familiar?

Soon, light shone on the mysterious figure, showing Sora who this person was. Sora was shocked beyond belief to see who was standing before him. Just who is this person? Why does this teenaged boy look exactly like himself? As these questions ran through Sora's mind, he felt tremendous amount of pain coming from his right eye. Sora held his right eye in pain, trying to make the painful sensation go away.

**Sora...**

* * *

"Sora!" Mog greeted, while holding his face.

Sora woke up immediately after hearing the moogle's call. Mog jumped off of Sora's face and landed next to his pillow, giving Sora the chance to rise up from his bed. Sora found himself in a hotel room, which looked like it was a haunted mansion version. The place held a dark theme to it, but it did not bother Sora one bit.

The only thing that bothered Sora was the dream he just had. "Just...a dream...."

Mog hopped up onto Sora's lap, facing the Keyblade master. "You looked like you were having a bad dream, kupo," notified Mog, "Are you okay?"

Sora smiled appreciatively and picked up Mog in his hands. "Don't worry, Mog. I'm perfectly fine."

"Thank goodness, kupo," Mog said happily.

Sora turned to the side of his bed and got up from his bed, with Mog sitting on his shoulder. Sora stretched out his arms and walked towards the window to see the view outside. Much to Sora and Mog's enjoyment, they enjoyed the beautiful sight that awaited them outside. They were in a haunted mansion themed area, but among the place, they saw beautiful lights and fireworks blazing about in the sky. But this is what to expect when one is in an amusement park.

* * *

_**Chapter 35: The Chocobo Race**_

* * *

Sora, with Mog tagging along, took a route to find themselves in the chocobo stables. Inside the place, Sora found his friends working on their respective chocobos. Donald was feeding his blue chocobo some healthy vegetables, earning an appreciative chirp from the giant bird. Riku and Goofy were busy grooming their white and green chocobos, trying to make their chocobos look nice. Kairi, meanwhile, was giving her pink chocobo a bath, which the chocobo seemed to enjoy because of Kairi's gentle nature. Assisting Kairi was Pluto. After rinsing her chocobo from the suds, the chocobo shook itself dry, leaving the water to splash at Kairi, who laughed in delight as her own chocobo, ironically, dried itself and got her wet.

"I woke up Sora, kupo!" Mog announced to everyone as Sora arrived.

"Thank you, Mog," said the grateful Kairi, as she dried herself with a towel, "Good morning, Sora."

"Good morning, Princess," Sora greeted with a smile.

"What took you so long, Sora?" questioned Donald.

"It's not like you to sleep so late," commented Goofy.

"Well, at least he's here, so it's no biggie, right?" said Riku.

Suddenly, Mog went wide-eyed, alerting everyone. Then, a viewing window opened up in front of them, showing Lulu from her respective world.

"It's you!" exclaimed Donald.

"Howdy, Miss Lulu!" greeted Goofy.

"You're all doing well, I see," noted Lulu, "You two haven't changed much. And Princess Kairi is certainly looking better herself."

"Thank you, Miss Lulu," Kairi smiled appreciatively.

"And that's because Sora is working really hard to collect her Heart Fragments, kupo!" Mog informed happily.

"I'm just striving for what I'm working for," Sora said, trying to be modest.

"You haven't changed," Lulu commented, "No...actually, you've gotten stronger than before."

* * *

_"I beg of you! Please help me save her!"_

* * *

"Goofy, Pluto, and I still want to look for our King!" reminded Donald.

"And I just don't want to go back to Castle Oblivion," said Riku.

"Aside from the rest of you, it looks like you have something to say, Princess Kairi," noticed Lulu.

"Umm...what do you mean by a 'sacrifice?'" asked Kairi.

Sora frowned upon Kairi's question. Although he willingly made the sacrifice, he was still hurt by how much he had to be reminded of his sacrifice. It was still painful for him to remember that Kairi will never remember him anymore. Lulu saw this and realized that he must have seen what it was like if Kairi ever tried to remember Sora. "I wouldn't worry too much about that," assured Lulu, seeking to save Sora the sorrow of having to see the effect again, "In any case, how has your journey been going?"

"I think it would have been very difficult if I did this alone," realized Kairi, "But, I have everyone with me now." Hearing this from Kairi was enough to put smiles on Sora and the rest of the party's face. Despite the hardship of their journey, they all enjoyed accompanying Kairi.

"By the way, for you to be able to contact us in this world, it must mean you have something important to say, right?" asked Riku.

Lulu smiled at Riku for being able to get to the point. "It's White Day," Lulu reminded everyone.

"White Day...didn't you say something about that, Mog?" Goofy recalled.

"Yup!" exclaimed the happy moogle, "In Lulu's world, it's the day where you give gifts of graditude for the Valentine's chocolate cake we received."

"And that's called White Day, right?" realized Sora.

"Yup!" replied Mog.

"I don't get any of that," said the confused Donald.

"We'll be sure to give you a gift for the chocolate cake you gave us," Kairi promised, "If you don't mind, can you please wait a little longer?"

"I look forward to it," nodded Lulu, "In the meantime, what kind of world are you in?"

"Right now, we're in an amusement park called Gold Saucer," replied Sora.

"We're all participating in some kind of race here," added Riku.

"A race, you say?" Lulu asked, intrigued.

* * *

In the chocobo race track practice, Donald, Goofy, and Riku rode on their chocobos. The trio were able to ride on the giant birds with no problems. In this practice, the party were learning on how to control the birds and learn their various behaviors. Sora, on the other hand, rode a chocobo with Kairi holding onto him and Mog standing on Kairi's head.

"Even the sorceress was surprised," recalled Donald.

"We were shocked just as well, when we first arrived here," Riku mentioned.

* * *

_Thanks to Mog, Sora and his party arrived in the middle of the night, in the center of a starting station. Everything around them was bright, almost hurting their eyes upon laying their eyes on it. As Donald, Goofy, Riku, Pluto, and Mog got a good look at their surroundings, Sora helped Kairi back on her feet, upon arrival._

_After helping the Princess back up, Sora looked up to see a large JumboTron. Upon seeing the JumboTron, a certain image managed to catch his attention. "Princess, look." Kairi looked up to see what Sora was eying. Soon, the rest of Sora's friends looked up to see what the Keyblade master and the Princess were looking at._

**_Come one, come all! We have a fabulous Grand Prize with enough power to easily run Gold Saucer itself! This fragment of light! Enter now, all you Chocobo jockies, and win the Garden Racing Championship and earn that fragment! _**

* * *

To their surprise, Sora and his friends had immediately found the location of Kairi's Heart Fragment. And now, here they were, practicing for the Chocobo Race and getting their chocobos prepared.

Donald, Goofy, and Riku took point with their practice chocobos and sped up, leading against Sora and Kairi. If this were a real race, Donald and the rest of the riders would probably have won the Chocobo Race.

"Donald, Goofy, and Riku are getting pretty good at riding these big birds, kupo!" Mog said happily.

"I should practice, too," said Kairi, "Sora, is it okay if I try?"

"Sure, just be careful, okay?" Sora permitted.

"Okay!" Kairi smiled gratefully. Sora had his chocobo stop in its tracks. Sora and Kairi removed themselves from the chocobo and the two young teenagers switced places with each other. Taking the reins in her hands, Kairi prepared herself for her first time riding the gigantic bird.

"Just like I showed you, Princess," Sora instructed behind her.

However, there was one huge mistake that Kairi made. Kairi, apparently, wasn't fully aware of leg pressure, and she mistakenly kicked the chocobo too hard. The impact caused the chocobo to chirp angrily, until it gained more speed than Kairi had asked for. Sora and Kairi yelled as the chocobo was going to fast, causing the two young teenagers to hold on tightly as the wind was almost taking them off of the chocobo. Mog would have flown off if he hadn't held onto Sora's shirt.

"What are those two doing?" questioned Donald, as he raised an eyebrow.

"Uh-oh, looks like they're heading this way," Riku notified.

Much to Donald and Goofy's dismay, they saw Sora and Kairi charging towards them via their chocobo, while yelling on the way. "Look out!" Goofy yelled as Sora and Kairi's chocobo was nearing them.

The chocobo crashed into Donald, Goofy, and Riku's chocobos, creating a sound that resembled that resembled a bowling ball making a strike. Donald landed on his rear after being thrown off of his chocobo, Goofy fell on his stomach, Riku fell on his back, Sora fell on his front, and Kairi landed on her rear, on top of Sora's back. Mog, on the other hand, landed gently on Kairi's head. "Yay! That was fun! Let's do it again, kupo!" Mog cheered happily.

Pluto, having seen the accident, ran into the practice track with a first-aid kit in his mouth, ready to treat his friends' injuries.

* * *

In the wonder square, Sora and his friends decided to take a break from their chocobos and play some arcade games. Sora, Kairi, Goofy, Riku, Mog, and Pluto watched Donald play some kind of snowboarding game. Donald seemed to be a natural, as his character had not hit any obstacles that came towards him.

"Wow, you're pretty good, Donald!" Mog said happily.

"This is actually pretty easy!" exclaimed a happy Donald.

"That was a pretty big crash we ended up in," Riku recalled, "I thought that was it for us."

"I'm so sorry," Kairi apologized, embarrassed for her action.

"It's my fault, everyone," Sora tried to take the blame for Kairi, "I should have taught her some more."

Donald jumped down from the snowboard game, giving Goofy the chance to try it out. "If that were a real race, you all would have been hurt," reminded Donald, as he watched Goofy play the snowboarding game, "With that prize on the line, this race is going to be dangerous, too."

"Are you sure you won't withdraw, kupo?" asked the worried Mog.

"Princess, I'll retrieve the Fragment," insisted Sora.

"I'm lending a helping hand, too," Riku spoke up.

"Me and Donald will be there, too, Princess," said Goofy, "There's no need to force yourself to enter this race." As Goofy was playing the snowboarding game, his character had accidentally ran into an incoming tree, shocking Goofy. "Gawrsh, hit a tree..."

"Thank you, everyone," Kairi smiled, appreciating everyone's concern, "But if there is something I can do, I'd like to at least give it a try."

"You know, you remind me of my girlfriend back at home," Donald smirked.

"Hey, let's go grab something to eat," announced Sora.

"Sounds good," responded Riku.

* * *

Sora and his friends walked out of the arcade building. Donald was leading the way, until he was bumped by a group of girls, wearing a fancy uniform. The group, which consisted of young 14-year-olds, typically ignored the magician, which only served to anger Donald.

"Hey, you! What's the big idea!?" Donald was about to charge at the group to give them a piece of their mind. However, Donald stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw the group getting themselves ready for a fight. As skilled as Donald was, he knew that he couldn't take them all on. But frustration was gnawing at Donald.

"Please wait."

Behind the group of girls, one girl, in particular, emerged out of the group. It was a girl, about Kairi's age, maybe younger, wearing a yellow mini-dress and brown sandals. This girl simply smiled in delight and ran forward. Donald prepared himself to be hugged like a teddy bear, but was surprised to realize that the girl ran past him. To everyone's surprise, the girl immediately ran towards Kairi, taking the surprised Princess's hands in hers.

"You're the one I'm looking for!" Sora and his friends were puzzled to know what the girl was talking about. "You're my heroine!"

Now, Sora and his friends were confused...

* * *

Sora and his friends and the girl and her group headed back to the chocobo square, where the girl decided to explain herself and her sudden appearance. Not to mention her concentrating on Kairi.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the girl greeted Sora and his friends, "I'm a representative Balamb Garden, Selphie Tilmitt."

"You're the representative?" asked Mog, "That's so cool, kupo!"

"Then, you're--" Sora realized.

"Yes, I'm sponsoring this race!" smiled Selphie, "And as the representative of my school, I'm going to record the entire race. From the big fancy start, to the ultimate finale when that checkered flag waves at the end." Selphie seemed to be pretty excited that she was literally dancing for joy, getting some weird looks from Sora, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. "And that's why I need a heroine for this race." Selphie then grabbed Kairi's hand, and showed her off to her group, as if Kairi was the shining hope for the entire world. "And Miss Kairi, that heroine must be you!"

Selphie and Kairi took a knee--with reluctance from Kairi--as if they did a splendid performance. Selphie's group applauded Selphie for her "performance." Sora and the rest of his friends were still confused of Selphie's hyper behavior. For a young girl, Selphie had a lot of energy.

* * *

Seeking to live up to Selphie's expectations, Kairi hopped onto her pink chocobo in the practice race track. Taking the reins in her hands, Kairi ordered her chocobo to start running the tracks. The pink chocobo obeyed Kairi's motion and immediately started running after chirping in confirmation.

Sora and his friends, together with Selphie and her group, watched Kairi on the track. They were impressed with how Kairi was taking control of the run.

"Kairi is so cool, kupo!" Mog cheered.

"She looks determined that before," noted Goofy.

"And it looks like she's taking this seriously, too," added Riku.

However, things immediately went out of control, when Kairi's chocobo chirped angrily. Sora was shocked to see the situation quickly turn on Kairi. Kairi lost control of her chocobo, as the gigantic bird ran left and right rapidly, trying to force Kairi off of its back. Kairi yelled in panic as her chocobo was now going wild on her. "Princess...!" Sora simply said as he continued to watch the Princess losing control of her chocobo. Finally, the chocobo won its match against Kairi's control, forcing Kairi off of its back. Kairi was launched into the air, until she landed right on her rear, causing Sora to panic even more. "Princess!!" Sora yelled in panic, as he hopped over the railings to help Kairi.

Seeing the scene only caused Donald and Goofy to be completely embarrassed in the situation. They didn't know what to say. Pluto was of no exception. The yellow dog groaned in embarrasment, placing his paws over his eyes, not wanting to watch the scene anymore. Riku could only chuckle in amusement. Mog, on the other hand, found the scene very funny.

"She's even cuter when she falls on her butt," Selphie giggled.

Kairi still had a long way to go...

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	36. First Race, First Trouble

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**"That was a pretty big crash we ended up in," Riku recalled, "I thought that was it for us."**

**"I'm so sorry," Kairi apologized, embarrassed for her action.**

**"It's my fault, everyone," Sora tried to take the blame for Kairi, "I should have taught her some more."**

**Donald jumped down from the snowboard game, giving Goofy the chance to try it out. "If that were a real race, you all would have been hurt," reminded Donald, as he watched Goofy play the snowboarding game, "With that prize on the line, this race is going to be dangerous, too."**

**"Are you sure you won't withdraw, kupo?" asked the worried Mog.**

**"Princess, I'll retrieve the Fragment," insisted Sora.**

**"I'm lending a helping hand, too," Riku spoke up.**

**"Me and Donald will be there, too, Princess," said Goofy, "There's no need to force yourself to enter this race." As Goofy was playing the snowboarding game, his character had accidentally ran into an incoming tree, shocking Goofy. "Gawrsh, hit a tree..."**

**"Thank you, everyone," Kairi smiled, appreciating everyone's concern, "But if there is something I can do, I'd like to at least give it a try."**

* * *

**"Yes, I'm sponsoring this race!" smiled Selphie, "And as the representative of my school, I'm going to record the entire race. From the big fancy start, to the ultimate finale when that checkered flag waves at the end." Selphie seemed to be pretty excited that she was literally dancing for joy, getting some weird looks from Sora, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. "And that's why I need a heroine for this race." Selphie then grabbed Kairi's hand, and showed her off to her group, as if Kairi was the shining hope for the entire world. "And Miss Kairi, that heroine must be you!"**

**Selphie and Kairi took a knee--with reluctance from Kairi--as if they did a splendid performance. Selphie's group applauded Selphie for her "performance." Sora and the rest of his friends were still confused of Selphie's hyper behavior. For a young girl, Selphie had a lot of energy.**

* * *

_**Chapter 36: First Race, First Trouble**_

* * *

Later that night, after Kairi's harmless accident, Sora, with Mog, helped Kairi out in the chocobo stables, helping the Princess take care of her pink chocobo, as well as giving the teenaged girl a few pointers of how to ride a chocobo. Sora helped Kairi hop onto her chocobo. As Kairi held onto the reins, Sora continued to instruct her on how to ride her chocobo with no problems.

"When taking care of chocobos, it's important to feed them a balanced diet so they can stay fit and be able to move faster," Sora instructed, as he helped feed Kairi's chocobo with some vegetables, "And it's also good to know what kind of vegetables can be effective for them."

"Okay," nodded Kairi.

"And when you're racing, whenever you want your chocobo to go faster, use the proper leg pressure," Sora continued to explain, "And when you want to slow it down, just tug on the reins."

"You mean, like this?" Kairi asked, pulling on the rein a bit roughly, which only made her chocobo uncomfortable.

Sora placed a hand on Kairi's hand, easing her action. "You'll need to be a little gentler than that."

Kairi was left speechless when she saw Sora's hand on hers. Soon, Sora and Kairi were staring deep into each other's eyes. Time seemed to have frozen for them, as they continued to stare into each other's eyes, not realizing that their cheeks were starting to turn a little shade of pink.

Sora quickly withdrew his hand, finally realizing what was happening. "I-I'm so sorry!" stammered Sora.

"No, it's okay..." Kairi shyly drew her hand close to herself, still blushing to the fact that she practically held hands with Sora.

Mog seemed to enjoy the scene, as he was giggling to himself on the scene. "Lovey-dovey, lovey-dovey, kupo!" Mog sang.

* * *

Donald, Goofy, and Riku stood indoors in the stables, taking care of their respective chocobos, while watching Sora and Kairi's interaction together.

"Kairi seems to be pretty brighter than before," commented Riku.

"I agree," nodded Goofy, as he was feeding his green chocobo a piece of vegetable.

"It's something that would make you smile, right Donald?" asked Riku.

"What do you mean?" questioned Donald.

"When you mentioned your girlfriend, you seemed to be pretty nostalgic about it," noted Riku.

"That's because Daisy and Donald have been together for many years now," informed Goofy, "And Donald misses her, too."

"Well, that's something," Riku smiled a little, "For a guy who blows his top off for small things, you actually have a soft side."

"So I have a girlfriend," Donald defended, "I bet you have someone you miss back at your home, Riku."

Hearing this caused Riku to freeze up as he was grooming his white chocobo. Riku lowered the brush down to his side, as if he lost all will to even take care of his own chocobo. Riku's face turned grim when he remembered the world he came from, as well as the reason why he was running from it in the first place...

"Do you have someone you miss, too, Riku?" asked the curious Goofy.

"......Actually..." Riku paused for a while, as if he were trying to find himself the answer. Then, Riku turned to his friends, putting on a reassuring smile. "...I've never had a family before. So, in other words, you could say that I was an orphan."

* * *

The next day, the audience roared with anticipation. Today was the day of the Garden Racing Championship. Sora and his friends arrived on the center stage with their chocobos ready. The party looked at their surroundings to see that there were many chocobo jockeys dying to be a part of this big race.

"Can't wait to get my hands on that energy source!"

"Just think about what I can do with that thing!"

"I wonder what I should use it for?"

"Everyone here is serious, kupo," Mog observed.

"Yeah..." replied Kairi.

**And, given the honor of waving the starting flag is the representative of Balamb Graden, Selphie Tilmitt!**

Selphie appeared next to the starting line, holding the black and white checkered flag in her right hand. "Riders, get ready!" announced Selphie.

The riders placed their headgears, ranging from helmets, goggles, or combined versions, got on their chocobos and rode up to the starting line, where Selphie awaited everyone. The riders got themselves ready, as the red light appeared before them. Sora and his friends got into positions for a good start. Everyone waited anxiously for the chance to get this race underway.

"Riders, on your marks!" announced Selphie. "Get set!" Selphie then had her checkered flag raised up high.

It was red at first. Red. Red. Red. Yellow. Yellow. Yellow. And finally...

"Go!!" Selphie yelled, as she wave the flag down.

Green. The chocobo racers immediately dusted off of the starting line. Sora and his friends got themselves to a good start, despite some overwhelming group of chocobos racing passed them.

**And we're off! The preliminary race for the Garden Racing Championship is under way!**

* * *

The race was off to a good start. Every racer kept their focus on the road, as they commanded their chocobos to change various speeds. Every chocobo jockey commanded their chocobo to speed up on straight roads and slow down on curves and hairpins.

Sora and Kairi rode side by side on their respective chocobos. Sora rode by himself on his black chocobo, while Kairi rode on her pink chocobo, with Mog on her shoulder. Everything seemed to be going well, until Kairi messed up on her footing. Kairi, once again, wasn't too familiar with using leg pressure and hit her chocobo too hard, causing her chocobo to wiggle out of control, scaring Kairi. Kairi screamed in panic as she was about to lose control of her chocobo.

**Uh oh, folks! It looks like the cute new entry is about to lose this race quickly!**

Sora, responding to her distress, immediately sped up to her pink chocobo. "Princess, try to slow her down!" instructed Sora.

"O-okay!" responded Kairi. Kairi, remembering what Sora taught her, pulled her reins gently, slowing down her chocobo, and regaining its composure, before running again in the usual speed.

**Oh, but wait! It looks like she's got everything under control!**

"When your chocobo acts up like that, just slow her down so she can rest, and then try again," Sora instructed further, as he rode on his black chocobo next to her pink one.

"Okay!" nodded Kairi.

"Let's continued," said Sora, before he and Kairi began to ride off into the race once again.

* * *

Ahead of the race, various chocobos had their places changed as the fastest chocobo would pass up one chocobo or another. Donald, Goofy, and Riku were handling their chocobos well. They had no problems whatsoever. It was only a matter of time before the three of them could qualify in this race.

**As we expected, the main chocobo jockeys are the ones who have earned high ranks in the previous races! And following up behind these jockeys are these up-and-coming trio! Goofy, riding his green chocobo, Spring! Next, we've got Riku, riding his white chocobo, Blur! Finally, among these new jockeys is Donald, with his blue chocobo, Mother Goose!**

"Why are you giving me all the dumb names, Riku!?" yelled the angry Donald.

"Well, your chocobo is a girl, so the only thing I thought of was 'Mother Goose,'" smiled Riku.

"We're in the middle of the race, stop messing around!" scolded Donald.

"Donald's right, Riku," agreed Goofy, "This is our only chance."

"Yeah, you're right," nodded Riku, "Well, I'll see you two at the finish line." With that said, Riku used proper leg pressure and made his white chocobo gain full speed, leaving behind Donald and Goofy, who watched the silver-haired teenager ride off, passed a few racers, before disappearing into the crowd of jockeys.

"One of these days, Riku..." Donald swore to himself, grumbling. Donald and Goofy then used proper leg pressure of their own and soon, their chocobos went full speed to catch up to their friend.

* * *

Meanwhile, a little ways behind, Sora and Kairi continued to ride their chocobos with some jockeys trying to catch up to the lead jockeys. While the two teenagers rode the race track, Kairi hadn't expected obstacles on their way. For instance, in Kairi's way, there was a big boulder that blocked her way. Kairi didn't know what to do. She can't slow down or she will risk getting passed up by other jockeys. Yet, speeding up was too risky, since there was a boundary line and Sora on either side. Fortunately, Kairi's chocobo seemed to notice it. Thinking for itself, Kairi's chocobo made an incredible leap into the air, avoiding the boulder and surprising Sora, who was doing everything he can to make sure Kairi was safe.

Kairi yelped in great surprise. She hadn't expected her chocobo to jump so high. Mog, thankfully, was holding onto Kairi's clothes to prevent himself from flying off. As her chocobo landed, the chocobo had a little difficulty regaining its footing, before continuing its pace. "Princess!" Sora called out, worried about Kairi.

"I'm okay," Kairi assured. "You should go on ahead, Sora."

"What?" asked the surprised Sora.

"Do your best to get there," advised Kairi, "I'm going to give it all I got, too."

"Princess..." Sora was hesitant to leave Kairi behind. Kairi still had to learn about riding her chocobo. However, a smile of assurance from the Princess said otherwise. Sora then decided to place his trust on Kairi. "Okay," nodded Sora. Sora then commanded his chocobo to move at full speed towards the leading jockeys, trusting in Kairi to qualify in the race.

* * *

Watching from the JumboTron, Selphie watched just how loyal Sora is to Kairi. Seeing this type of loyalty seemed to impress the young teenaged girl.

"I know I want this to be a fair competiton," recalled Selphie, "But, it would be wonderful to have someone like that win."

* * *

**The leading group is now nearing the finish line. Here they are!**

As expected, a group of jockeys were now visible. The crowd watched in suspense as the jockeys were riding full speed towards the finish line. As they focused on the finish line, they didn't expect someone passing them up so fast. From out of nowhere, Donald sped passed the leading group, followed by Goofy and Riku. Donald, Goofy, and Riku were now the top three leading jockeys in the race. By a miracle, the trio were the first to reach the finish line, followed by the first wave of jockeys that they sped passed.

**Wow, this is unbelievable, folks! These three new jockeys have made it to the top three!**

Donald, Goofy, and Riku got off of their chocobos, as their chocobos danced for joy for their victory.

"You did it, Donald!" Goofy congratulated.

"No problem!" Donald crossed his arms in triumph. Suddenly, from out of the blue, his blue chocobo seemed to have passed out. Donald jumped off of his sleeping chocobo and checked up on its condition.

"I think he might be sleeping, Donald," noted Goofy. However, soon enough, Goofy's chocobo had passed out as well.

Riku was no different. For some odd reason, as they looked around the area, even the jockeys' chocobos had passed out. No one could figure out why their chocobos had fallen asleep.

"What's going on?" Riku wondered.

"There's something screwy around here," realized Donald.

* * *

Sora and Kairi continued to ride their chocobos, nearing the finish line. Unfortunately, as they rode, Sora's black chocobo began to feel very ill. The black chocobo almost lost its footing, but by a way of showing strength, Sora's chocobo tried, with all its might, to stay in the race and keep going, despite feeling very ill.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sora asked his chocobo. Sora saw in his chocobo's eyes that it was getting very tired. His chocobo was barely trying to stay awake, but whatever was ailing it was fighting against its strength.

"Sora, what's wrong with him?" asked the concerned Kairi, as she rode alongside him.

"He's getting sick for some reason," replied Sora, "I don't know why."

On Kairi's shoulder, Mog received a communication. Apparently, the moogle had a small earpiece in his right ear. Mog received communication from Pluto, who stay behind to clean up their chocobos' stables. Pluto barked some indistinct messages to Mog, which he was able to understand. "Sora, Mog just received a message from Pluto, kupo," Mog informed, "He said that there was something wrong with the vegetables that you, Donald, Goofy, and Riku fed your chocobos."

"What was wrong with them?" asked the surprised Sora.

"Those vegetables you fed them were drugged," Mog answered.

"Drugged!?" exclaimed the shocked Sora. _**So that's why my chocobo was feeling sick.**_ Sora continued to watch his chocobo struggle to stay in the race. "Hey, hang in there!" Sora pleaded his chocobo. Sora then looked up ahead to see a chocobo jockey checking on his fallen chocobo. Sora and Kairi immediately moved out of the way of the fallen chocobo, before riding side by side again. "It looks like the other chocobos have been drugged, too," said the observant Sora.

"My chocobo didn't eat anything, because she wasn't hungry this morning," Kairi noted.

"She ate a lot last night, so it only makes sense," said Sora.

"Sora, what are you going to do now, kupo?" asked the worried moogle.

Sora turned to Kairi and Mog, who continued to show worry for the Keyblade master. Then, Sora gave them a smile of confidence. "I'm going to do what the Princess would do." Kairi was surprised by Sora's answer. What she would do? "Princess, please don't worry about me," advised Sora, "Please go on ahead."

"Sora..." Kairi was truly surprised by Sora's decision. However, she could see that Sora was giving her the go-ahead. "Okay," Kairi nodded, "But, please promise me this: no matter what, you have to make it to the main race."

"I promise," Sora vowed.

Kairi nodded in confirmation. Then, using proper leg pressure, Kairi commanded her chocobo to run full speed ahead, leaving Sora behind to finish the race on his own.

* * *

**Ten people have made it to the finish line, folks. But for some strange reason, all of their chocobos have fallen asleep. What could happen next?** **There are only two spots left. Who will make it in time!?**

The crowd watched in suspense on the track and on the JumboTron. Nobody knew who the next person was going to make it to the finish line. Then, from far away on the track, they saw a small pink image coming into view.

**Oh, who is this?  
**

Kairi continued to ride on her pink chocobo in full speed. Kairi's chocobo had finally crossed the finish line. Kairi then pulled on her reins to stop her chocobo's dash. Her pink chocobo had started to skid, trying to halt itself. Luckily, for the Princess; Donald, Goofy, and Riku were there to catch her and her pink chocobo, effectively halting the giant bird.

Kairi, with Goofy's help, hopped off of her chocobo. Kairi then gave her chocobo a well-deserved stroke on its head, before turning her attention to the race track. She could see a small black spot on the race track, before identifying it at Sora and his chocobo.

"Is Sora okay, kupo?" asked the worried Mog.

"He'll be okay," assured Kairi, "I trust Sora."

* * *

Despite Sora's ill chocobo, he managed to make it far enough to see the finish line in the distance.

"There is it!" Sora exclaimed to himself.

Before Sora could make a final run to the finish line, Sora immediately found himself surrounded by three chocobo jockeys. Two on each side, and one leading the race. "Hey, whatever you two do, don't let him through!" commanded jockey number 1.

"Yes sir!" jockey number 2 and 3 responded.

The first jockey sped up ahead, leaving his flunkies to block off Sora. "Wait!" yelled Sora, trying to speed up with his sick chocobo. Unfortunately, the two jockeys took advantage of his sick chocobo and took the lead in front of Sora, blocking the young teenager off.

* * *

Kairi and the rest of the party watched on the JumboTron what was happening to Sora, and were watching in suspense.

"That's not good," commented Riku.

"Hey, that's cheating, kupo!" exclaimed Mog.

"Not if they hit him," Donald corrected Mog.

Kairi watched in fear for Sora's safety. Not only was she scared for Sora's well-being, but she was also scared that Sora won't be able to keep his promise to her. "At this rate, Sora won't be able to make it in time. But, his chocobo is also too weak," said the observant Goofy, "Hey, Donald, what would you do if this ever happened?"

"I'd do the same thing he would do," answered Donald.

* * *

Sora saw little choice on what to do. But it was now or never. Using powerful leg pressure, Sora commanded his chocobo to use all strength it probably had left and jump over the two chocobo jockeys, once again taking the lead over them. The chocobo jockeys could only watch in disbelief. How could a sick chocobo find the strength to make a jump that big?

Now it was Sora and the leading jockey. Sora's chocobo continued to dash at full speed, struggling with all of its might to stay awake, despite being drugged. Sora's chocobo zipped right past the leading jockey, surprising him. "That kid! Is he trying to put a strain on his chocobo!?" exclaimed the surprised jockey, "All right, fine! I'll do the same!" The jockey then forced his chocobo to make a full dash towards the leading Sora. Soon, Sora and the jockey were now side by side. "I'll be the one to take that last place, kid!" the jockey declared with a cocky attitude. Sora seemed to ignore the jockey's declaration. "Your chocobo doesn't look so good," noted the jockey, trying to hint to that it was useless for Sora to keep racing, "You'd better quit while you're ahead, kid."

"I'm not going to quit, and neither will my chocobo," proclaimed Sora, showing his determination. The chocobo also showed fierce determination to win this match, despite its illness. "I have something that I must do."

Sora and the jockey's chocobo continued to make a full charge towards the finish line. Unfortunately, for the jockey's chocobo, it soon gave out, due to the drug in the vegetables it ate this morning. Soon, the jockey soon yelped in surprise as his chocobo soon fell asleep on the spot, leaving Sora to continue speeding up.

Sora's black chocobo used up the last of its strength and began to slow down on the track. Fortunately, Sora's chocobo still had the strength to make it into the finish line, before falling asleep on the line. Sora jumped down and knelt besides his chocobo, stroking the sleeping chocobo's head. "Sorry you had to push yourself," Sora whispered to his chocobo, "But...you did it."

Medics appeared on the track and ran towards Sora's chocobo. "We'll take care of him, young man," the medic said, as he took a look at its condition.

Leaving the medics to check up on his chocobo, Sora walked to where Kairi and the others were awaiting his arrival. Kairi was so happy to see that Sora had made it to the finish line. Sora walked up to Kairi, who was still smiling to the fact that Sora is there now. "Princess, I kept my promise," Sora informed with a proud smile.

"I'm so glad, Sora," Kairi nodded, still smiling towards her friend.

"That was an intense thing you did there, Sora," Goofy complimented.

Sora nodded on Goofy's compliment, before dropping his smile as he looked at the jockeys around them. Sora couldn't help but notice that it was strange for everyone's chocobo to fall asleep in the middle of the race.

"What's wrong?" asked Kairi.

* * *

Selphie, along with some of the men and women of the public health services of Gold Saucer, took a look at some of the vegetables that had the drugs in it.

"We didn't detect any abnormalities with today's shipment of vegetables before the race," notified a public health service worker.

"That means that someone is trying to interfere with the race," realized Selphie, "Not only that, but that saboteur..."

* * *

Sora now knew the truth behind the sleeping chocobos. Not only was the saboteur trying to interfere with the race...

"That saboteur is one of them..." said Sora, facing the jockeys.

Sora watched the jockeys in suspicion. Sora realized one thing about this incident. Sora and the others were not the only ones after the Heart Fragment. Someone else is after it as well.

But who?

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	37. The Final Race

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**Wow, this is unbelievable, folks! These three new jockeys have made it to the top three!**

**Donald, Goofy, and Riku got off of their chocobos, as their chocobos danced for joy for their victory.**

**"You did it, Donald!" Goofy congratulated.**

**"No problem!" Donald crossed his arms in triumph. Suddenly, from out of the blue, his blue chocobo seemed to have passed out. Donald jumped off of his sleeping chocobo and checked up on its condition.**

**"I think he might be sleeping, Donald," noted Goofy. However, soon enough, Goofy's chocobo had passed out as well.**

**Riku was no different. For some odd reason, as they looked around the area, even the jockeys' chocobos had passed out. No one could figure out why their chocobos had fallen asleep.**

**"What's going on?" Riku wondered.**

**"There's something screwy around here," realized Donald.**

* * *

**Kairi continued to ride on her pink chocobo in full speed. Kairi's chocobo had finally crossed the finish line. Kairi then pulled on her reins to stop her chocobo's dash. Her pink chocobo had started to skid, trying to halt itself. Luckily, for the Princess; Donald, Goofy, and Riku were there to catch her and her pink chocobo, effectively halting the giant bird.**

**Kairi, with Goofy's help, hopped off of her chocobo. Kairi then gave her chocobo a well-deserved stroke on its head, before turning her attention to the race track. She could see a small black spot on the race track, before identifying it at Sora and his chocobo.**

**"Is Sora okay, kupo?" asked the worried Mog.**

**"He'll be okay," assured Kairi, "I trust Sora."**

* * *

**Sora now knew the truth behind the sleeping chocobos. Not only was the saboteur trying to interfere with the race...**

**"That saboteur is one of them..." said Sora, facing the jockeys.**

**Sora watched the jockeys in suspicion. Sora realized one thing about this incident. Sora and the others were not the only ones after the Heart Fragment. Someone else is after it as well.**

**But who?**

* * *

_**Chapter 37: The Final Race**_

* * *

**And now a report from the Chocobo Race! There will be a lottery drawing for the leading positions, broadcasting live today! Who will be the top jockeys in the final race?**

In the drawing arena, Sora and his friends, as well as a number of jockeys that qualified, awaited their turn for their numbers. The first one to come up for the drawing was Kairi, accompanied by Mog on her shoulder, who shyly stepped up. Kairi was not that used to being in front of a big crowd, such as this one. In front of her, there was a big glass globe, with a number of red balls hovering around at randomly. Attached to the globe, there was a tube, in which these red balls will eventually come out.

"And now, folks, our upcoming star, Kairi, will now receive her number!" announced the announcer, "What number will she receive?"

As Kairi was awaiting her number to be drawn, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku turned their attentions to the other qualified jockeys. The fact that their chocobos had fallen asleep in the middle of the race seemed to strange for anyone. There could only be one reason why the chocobos would fall asleep in the middle of the race.

"One of them is trying to disrupt the race," noted Donald.

"And there's no doubt that one of them is after the Fragment," said Riku.

"Oh! What do we have here!?" exclaimed the surprised announcer. The announcer presented Kairi, who was holding a red ball, labeled #1. "Our beloved Kairi, along with her chocobo, Rose, has taken the leading position in the next race! Can you believe it, folks!?"

"Kairi, you're really good at this, kupo!" Mog praised happily on Kairi's shoulder.

"Y-yeah," replied Kairi, not understanding how she got the managed to take the leading position.

"Right off the bat," commented Riku, as she watched Kairi holding up her red ball.

"The Princess's luck strikes again!" exclaimed the joyful Goofy.

Kairi smiled proudly to the crowd, as she still presented her #1 ball. And much to her joy, the crowd continued to cheer for the young Princess.

* * *

Later that night, in a dining hall of Gold Saucer, the jockeys were invited to a banquet, courtesy of the Chocobo Race hostess, Selphie. Variety of food items were scattered throughout other tables, ranging from meats, fruits, vegatables, breads, bakeries, etc.

"Tonight, we celebrate for all of you for qualifying in today's race," announced Selphie, "I hope you all enjoy each other's company for tonight. And I wish you all the best of luck for tomorrow. Here's to you all!" Selphie praised, as she raised her drink to everyone.

"Here, here!" All the jockeys raised their glasses in celebration, and giving each other a toast to their race tomorrow, before everyone can enjoy the food and drinks.

Many of the jockeys had taken the liberty of taking in some of the hors d'oeuvres. Sora and his friends were of no exception. Donald had gathered himself a plate full of the finest food items. Before the magician was able to eat one of his hors d'oeuvres, Mog jumped up right behind him. "That's Mog's favorite food, kupo!" Mog exclaimed happily. Much to Donald's surprise and dismay, Mog consumed the food item that Donald was about to have.

"What's the big idea, you dumb plush toy!?" yelled the angry Donald.

"Uh-oh, Donald's angry again!" Mog said happily, before giving chase to the angered Donald.

"Get back here!" Donald chased after the moogle, with the intent of bringing vengeance upon the moogle for taking his food.

While Sora and the rest of the party watched Donald chase after Mog, Sora looked off to one of the tables. At one of the tables, Sora saw a teenager about the same as his. As Sora stared at him, the Keyblade master noticed something about him. This teenager kind of looked like one of Sora's friends. Looking hard enough, Sora realized that this person looked almost like one of the people he met from Twilight Town--Hayner.

The teenaged boy noticed Sora staring at him and he was already starting to get suspicious of Sora. Getting up from his seat, the teenaged boy approached Sora and his friends. "Hey, buddy, what are you looking at?" questioned the suspicious teenager.

Sora immediately snapped out of his trance, upon realizing that this teenager was noticing that he was staring at him. "Sorry about that," Sora apologized, "You just look like someone I know."

"...I see," responded the teenager, "Well, at least don't stare at me, okay? It kind of creeps me out."

"Yeah, sorry," Sora apologized again.

"Don't worry about it," assured the teenager, "You know what? You're all right. The name's Max. What's your name, kid?"

"I'm Sora," Sora introduced, "These are my friends, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Pluto, Mog, and Princess Kairi."

"Pleasure to meet you all," said Max, as he extended his hand to Sora. Sora and Max shook each other's hand. Though this was the first time they have met, Sora and Max seemed to have started a likely friendship in this world.

* * *

Later that evening, Kairi went to the balcony, away from the party, with her friends accompanying her. Kairi took a good look at the view in front of her. The Princess was overjoyed upon seeing the pretty lights that illuminated around the nighttime Gold Saucer. She could see a perfect view of the other Squares and the pretty lights that each of the Squares gave off.

"Traveling different worlds has its benefits, don't you think?" asked Riku, "You get to experience a lot of great things, especially meeting new friends."

"But then again, you also meet people who don't act positive," noted Goofy.

"You mean like the ones behind us?" Riku asked, as he turned his head towards the balcony's doorway.

"Princess, please be careful," cautioned Sora. The party awaited the presence of whoever was sneaking up on them. Without warning, men in blue uniforms appeared, armed with clubs. Sora, drawing his Keyblade, bravely volunteered to deal with these armed men. "Please watch the Princess," Sora requested his friends.

Sora then ran into his first battle of Gold Saucer. These men in blue uniforms charged towards Sora, unaware of the young teenagers experienced skills in combat. The first man swung his club downwards, hoping strike down Sora in one blow. Unfortunately, for the man, Sora dodged the club and struck back, with a Keyblade to the wrist, effectively disarming the man. Behind Sora, another man was about to swing his club down on Sora. Sora didn't have enough time to bring his Keyblade up to defend himself. Instead, Sora brought his hand up to catch the club. However, upon catching the man's club, Sora immediately felt waves of pain enter his hand. Sora grunted in pain as he caught the man's club and realized something about his opponents' weapons. They weren't ordinary clubs. They were actually stun rods.

"Sora!" Mog yelled in distress.

"Are you two going to help him?" asked Riku.

"Sora knows what he's doing," said Donald.

Sora was completely surrounded by men in blue uniform. His left hand was now out of commission, due to the electric discharge that he had just received. "It's no use, kid!" one of the men exclaimed, "Drop your weapon and put your hands up!" Enemies were all around Sora, and to make things worst, Sora was still blind in his right eye. It was now time to put his training to the test. Sora closed his eyes to cut off his sight from the world. This time, he was going to use his senses to fight, just like how Donald and Goofy taught him. "Grab him!"

The two men from behind Sora charged at the Keyblade master. Using his senses, Sora made a jumping spin kick, effectively knocking out his assailants. Next, the two men in front of Sora charged with their stun rods. Once again, using his senses, Sora performed a roundhouse kick to knock the assailants' weapons our of their hands, leaving the men to hold their hands in pain. Last, Sora concentrated on his senses and used one last kick to knock another man's stun rod out of his hand. The men could only hold their hands in pain, and the rest attempting to help their unconcious teammates.

"Whoa, nice one, Sora," complimented Riku.

"All right, that's enough." Sora and his friends turned their attention to the doorway, where they saw a red-haired man, wearing goggles on his head and a suit--albeit in an unkempt way--enter the balcony. "Smooth moves, kid."

"Who are you?" Sora questioned.

"Normally, we never attack unarmed combatants." Behind the red-haired man, three more people entered. One was a bald-man, another had long black hair, and there was a female blonde. "But then again, we need to do necessary things to get what we're after..."

"Who are you guys?" Donald interrogated.

"We're the Turks," the black-haired man introduced, "These are my associates: Reno, Rude, and Elena."

"The Turks?" Riku pondered.

* * *

The Turks brought along Sora and his friends around Gold Saucer, until they ended up in one of the rooms of the Chocobo Square. Sora, his friends, and the Turks entered the room to find Selphie waiting inside. Apparently, this seems to be Selphie's quarters, considering that she is the hostess of this chocobo race.

"Selphie?" said the confused Sora.

"I'm sorry for the trouble, everyone," said Selphie.

"So you're the one who was behind this," realized Riku.

"Selphie was the one who hired us," Reno admitted, "We're just doing our jobs like we're told."

"I asked for their help in this investigation," confessed Selphie, "I also asked them to bring you all here to help figure out who was behind the incident in the qualifying race."

"Someone was trying to sabotage the race, right?" hypothesized Goofy.

Elena, the blonde Turk, brought out a remote control and displayed a computer screen, showing what appears to be chemical formulas of some kind. "We analyzed the chocobo feeds that were brought in recently," explained Elena, "And we found these in the vegetables. A highly-potent sleeping drug."

"This sleeping drug only lasts for about 12 hours," added Tseng.

"The people who received the shipment of chocobo feed hadn't noticed anything unusual until now," said Selphie.

"These chocobo feed were drugged last night, just in time for the chocobo qualifying race to begin," explained Rude.

"We can't explain it any further, but we have our suspect that this saboteur is involved with the race, as well," concluded Selphie.

"I think so, too," nodded Sora.

"We ran a background check on every one of the chocobo jockeys, and you and your friends' were the only ones that we haven't found," Tseng admitted.

"Which was why I asked the Turks to bring you in for questioning," confessed Selphie.

"So that's why you had them attack us!" exclaimed Donald.

"'Attack' is such a strong word nowadays...I prefer the term 'bullying,'" mused Reno, earning a glare from Donald, "Selphie had her suspicions, so we ordered the Gold Saucer security team to take you in. But when we observed you, we realized, if you were a cheater, you would have fought dirty." Sora nodded when he realized that Reno had a good point. Even cheaters would have no honor in a fight.

"We're lending our support in the investigation, as well," Elena spoke up, "So far, we've been questioning the other jockeys and the related parties. It's only a matter of time before we find our man."

"We don't know what's going to happen next, so please, be careful, everyone," Selphie cautioned Sora and his friends.

"None of this makes any sense," confessed Goofy, earning a puzzled look from Selphie, "I know you didn't bring us here just to tell us that. Is there something that you're hiding?"

"...Well, there is something I wanted to ask," Selphie admitted. After a moment of silence, Selphie walked up to Kairi and took her hands in hers, once again. "What will you and your chocobo be wearing?" asked the eager Selphie.

"Wearing?" asked the confused Kairi.

"Your costume, of course!" exclaimed the happy Selphie, "Have you picked one for you and your chocobo?"

"Um...no," replied the reluctant Kairi.

"Then, I'll make one for you!" Selphie exclaimed once again, "One for you and one for your chocobo! You two are going to look so cute together! It will be so great. My heroine speeding through the track, wearing something I picked out for her and her chocobo!"

Mog hopped out of Riku's arms and gently landed in Kairi's arms. "Mog wants to wear something for the race, too, kupo!" Mog said happily.

"Leave it to me, little one," Selphie smiled, as she shook Mog's paw, "So how about it, Kairi? We can go to my wardrobe and pick out something for you to wear for the race!"

"......Sure!" Kairi smiled, "That sounds great!"

"It's nice to see two girls smiling," said Goofy.

"You said it!" exclaimed Donald.

"Reno, you and Rude check out the surveillance systems for anything suspicious," requested Tseng, "We're going to question more people."

"All righty," Reno waved, as he and Rude exited Selphie's quarters to continue in the investigation.

* * *

The next day, Kairi, Selphie, and Mog were selecting their own costumes for today's race. The race wasn't until later on, so there was still time to kill. Sora's black chocobo had finally recovered from the sleeping drug. The Turks were still undergoing the investigation, but thanks to their presence, today's shipment of chocobo feed was all clean.

"How are you feeling, buddy?" Sora asked, as he was feeding his chocobo some fresh vegetables.

"Hey, you're here, too!"

Sora looked behind him and was surprised to see who was tending to his chocobo. "Max!" exclaimed the surprised Sora, "What are you doing here?"

"Getting my buddy ready for finals," replied Max, as he was feeding his green chocobo, which sported its own goggles. "His name's Swift. I've been riding with him since I was a kid. After some growing up, I decided to try the chocobo races. I've been working on him ever since."

Sora watched his new friend feeding his green chocobo. Sora then noticed one particular vegetable that stood out from the rest of the green food items. "What's this?" Sora asked, as he picked up the particular vegetable.

"Never seen it? That's a sylkis green," said Max, "Those are pretty good for helping your chocobo keep its stamina high and make it move faster."

"You mind if I use this one?" Sora asked for permission.

"Sure thing," responded Max, "I've got lots of them back at my place. You really want to win this race, too, huh?"

"No matter what it takes...I want to get that Fragment..." Sora said quietly to himself in determination.

"Ah, you got that fiery attitude," said the impressed Max, "I like that. Well, I better get to work. Come on, buddy. Let's get you groomed for the race." Max took his chocobo out of the stable to get him prepared for today's race, leaving Sora to tend to his chocobo.

* * *

The race was about to take place in the Chocobo Square. Sora and his friends had their chocobos ready for this big race. As they awaited for the announcement of the race, Selphie and Kairi, along with Mog, arrived behind the party. With Selphie's help, Kairi wore a pink racing scarf with some black goggles sitting on her head. Mog, while being held in Selphie's arms, wore simple black goggles on his head. In the party's eyes, Kairi looked like a cute professional chocobo jockey.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting," said Selphie.

Riku made an impressed whistle. "Looking good, Princess," complimented Riku.

"You look very cute, Princess!" Donald agreed.

"Thanks, you two," Kairi smiled.

"Selphie picked it out for her, kupo!" Mog explained.

"Thanks for letting Pluto watch with you," said Goofy.

"It's no bother," assured Selphie, "He wanted to have the chance to cheer you guys on."

"He's also playing navigator for us, as well," commented Riku, "We're counting on you, Pluto." Pluto gave an ear-salute to the party.

"By the way, Selphie, how is that investigation going?" asked Donald.

"Unfortunately, the Turks are still investigating," replied Selphie, "They're still reviewing the security tapes, and they've ordered more security for the race. Who knows what will happen out there? Please be careful out there."

"We will," assured Sora.

"All we have to do is win, and maybe this saboteur will stop whatever he's doing," hypothesized Goofy.

"It's possible," said Riku.

"I'm going to do my best, too!" Kairi exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"So will Mog, kupo!" Mog said happily, as he hopped into Kairi's arms.

"Well, time to head off, everyone," announced Riku, as he got his racing goggles ready.

"...To the main Garden Racing Championship." It was now or never for Sora and his friends. They had to win this race, or else, that Fragment was gone for good.

* * *

On the chocobo race track, all the chocobo jockeys marched out into the track, outside of Gold Saucer, waving towards the crowd, as the spectators cheered for their favorite racer. Kairi's pink chocobo, thanks to Selphie, sported a pink flower on its head, adding more of its cuteness to its character. Above the crowd, there was numerous choppers doing a live coverage of the event, and broadcasting this event all around the world.

**Here we are, live from Gold Saucer, folks! Our main event, the Garden Racing Championship is about to begin! The race shall take place outside of Gold Saucer, where our jockeys will race across the lands up to the finish line! As we know, ladies and gentlemen, we only have one rule in this race! One jockey must obtain three badges from different checkpoints and cross the finish line to win! Just who will take the ultimate Grand Prize!? Oh, I can't take the suspense, folks!**

Every chocobo jockey, Sora and his friends included, got on their chocobos. Soon, the chocobos walked up to the starting line, with Kairi taking the lead. The chocobos awaited the signal for the race to start. Red... Some of the chocobos scraped the ground in anticipation. Red... Kairi tightened her grip on the reins of her pink chocobo. Red... Sora held a determined look on his face, vowing to win this race for the Princess. Green!

As soon as that green light flashed, the chocobos immediately dashed off from the starting line, starting their trek around across the lands.

**And we're off! The Garden Racing Championship has officially begun!**

Kairi, was about to use improper leg pressure again, but decided against it. She regained her composure, even when most of the chocobo jockeys had already dashed passed her. Sora rode alongside Kairi's pink chocobo with his black chocobo. "Princess, please take it easy," Sora advised.

"Okay," Kairi nodded.

* * *

**There will be various obstacles designed to slow our competitors down, folks! One false move, and it's game over!**

Donald and Riku had taken it into account as they saw what kind of obstacles they were about to face. The course itself would change its environment as the competitors raced through. Roads would be slippery as ice, rough as rocks, or even narrow tunnels. One of the first obstacles the trio encountered were various rocks and boulders standing in their way. Donald commanded his blue chocobo to use the rocks and boulders as leverage and hop across from boulder to boulder, without decreasing his own speed. Riku followed the example and successfully avoided the obstacle.

**Oh, look at this folks! Donald and his blue chocobo, Mother Goose have successfully cleared the first obstacle, without even slowing down!**

"Again with that 'Mother Goose' name..." grumbled the cranky Donald.

* * *

As the race continued, Selphie and Elena watched the race from the Turks chopper. Thanks to the to for the help from the Turks, Selphie was able to see Sora and Kairi riding alongside each other. Upon seeing Sora and Kairi, Pluto barked in a cheery way for the two to do their best.

"Good luck, you two," Selphie said quietly.

* * *

**Our three newcomers are about to cross the first checkpoint! If they can't get this first badge, then that's it, folks!**

The first checkpoint was surrounded by a rocky area, with a few mountain ranges towering over the first checkpoint. The first checkpoint was displayed as a number of balloons floating with badges at the end of their ropes.

"How are we supposed to reach that?" Donald wondered as he kept riding.

"Hmm...let's this," Riku advised his friends. The duo used proper leg pressure to speed up to the checkpoint. Then, duo commanded their chocobos to leap into the air. The duo extended their hands towards the balloons, just close enough to grab a balloon out of the air by the ropes. Donald and Riku untied the balloons off of their badge, letting the balloons go free. "Now I see..."

"I guess you just gotta reach for it," Riku realized.

"The badges will also decrease when the other jockeys come by," noticed Donald, "That's going to be a problem."

* * *

Selphie, Elena, and Pluto continued to watch the race from above. So far, more and more jockeys had passed the first checkpoint, grabbing their first badges. So far, there were no problems as they had observed so far.

Perhaps this saboteur has backed off...

...or did he?

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	38. Tricks and Traps

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**The two men from behind Sora charged at the Keyblade master. Using his senses, Sora made a jumping spin kick, effectively knocking out his assailants. Next, the two men in front of Sora charged with their stun rods. Once again, using his senses, Sora performed a roundhouse kick to knock the assailants' weapons our of their hands, leaving the men to hold their hands in pain. Last, Sora concentrated on his senses and used one last kick to knock another man's stun rod out of his hand. The men could only hold their hands in pain, and the rest attempting to help their unconcious teammates.**

**"Whoa, nice one, Sora," complimented Riku.**

**"All right, that's enough." Sora and his friends turned their attention to the doorway, where they saw a red-haired man, wearing goggles on his head and a suit--albeit in an unkempt way--enter the balcony. "Smooth moves, kid."**

**"Who are you?" Sora questioned.**

**"Normally, we never attack unarmed combatants." Behind the red-haired man, three more people entered. One was a bald-man, another had long black hair, and there was a female blonde. "But then again, we need to do necessary things to get what we're after..."**

**"Who are you guys?" Donald interrogated.**

**"We're the Turks," the black-haired man introduced, "These are my associates: Reno, Rude, and Elena."**

**"The Turks?" Riku pondered.**

* * *

**Elena, the blonde Turk, brought out a remote control and displayed a computer screen, showing what appears to be chemical formulas of some kind. "We analyzed the chocobo feeds that were brought in recently," explained Elena, "And we found these in the vegetables. A highly-potent sleeping drug."**

**"This sleeping drug only lasts for about 12 hours," added Tseng.**

**"The people who received the shipment of chocobo feed hadn't noticed anything unusual until now," said Selphie.**

**"These chocobo feed were drugged last night, just in time for the chocobo qualifying race to begin," explained Rude.**

* * *

_**Chapter 38: Tricks and Traps**_

* * *

Not only were the Turks and Selphie on alert, but Sora was also on the lookout for any suspicious activity. If this saboteur was after the Heart Fragment as well, then anything could happen to the race, not to mention to the other jockeys. All Sora had to do was keep racing with his friends, and try to win Kairi's Heart Fragment, while keeping his eyes out for anything suspicious.

As the race went off, numerous jockeys had already made it towards the first checkpoint, especially Sora's new friends, Max, who was assisted by his very own chocobo, Swift.

**Look at that, ladies and gentlemen! Our jockeys have made it towards the Gongaga area, and have received their first badge! This is getting exciting folks!**

* * *

From above, Elena, Selphie, and Pluto continued to watch from above, via a Turk chopper, not only for any signs of trouble, but also because Selphie seems to be concentrating on Kairi herself. No one could blame Selphie. After all, Selphie has been cheering for Kairi ever since she first laid eyes on the Princess.

* * *

Sora, Kairi, and Goofy had arrived just in time for the first checkpoint. All the trio had to do was to have their chocobos leap into the air and grab a badge that floated in mid-air, thanks to the balloon with a string tied to them. However, as soon as the trio were about to close in, the sudden appearance of dark figures appeared before them, from thin air. Sora, Kairi, and Goofy were shocked to see what stood before them.

"It's the Heartless!" exclaimed the alert Goofy.

"They're here, too!?" Sora couldn't believe it. Are the Heartless involved in this? Are they the ones trying to sabotage the race? The Heartless took the form of what seemed to be chocobos. These dark chocobos began to run towards the trio, determined to slow them down. "Princess, stay behind me!"

"O-okay," replied the frightened Kairi. Kairi commanded her chocobo to trail behind Sora, leaving her between Sora and Goofy's chocobos.

Sora wasn't sure what to do. He can't just slow down and fight off the Heartless. That will only slow him and his friends down, and they will never have the chance to retrieve the Heart Fragment. But then again, the Heartless are coming after them, and at full speed. What was he supposed to do? Should he risk getting off and fighting off the Heartless, or should he just charge on through? Soon, his thoughts were diminished when a flying disc came out of nowhere and ran right through the Heartless stampede. Sora and Kairi followed where the flying disc was going until they traced it back to none other than Goofy.

"Amazing," said the astonished Kairi.

"Thanks, Goofy!" Mog cheered happily on Kairi's shoulder.

However, they had no time to be relieved. Another group of Heartless appeared before them, attempting of finish where the other group failed. Seeing no other choice, Goofy pulled his reins to stop his green chocobo in his tracks. Goofy then hopped off of his chocobo, equipping his shield and tending to his green chocobo. "Find a safe place to hide, Spring," Goofy advised his green chocobo. The green chocobo ran off to hide in a nearby forest to await Goofy's return.

Sora and Kairi stopped in their tracks to see Goofy about to face off against the group of Heartless alone. "Goofy!" Mog yelled.

"Don't you worry about me!" Goofy called out, as he began repelling the Heartless, "I'll keep these Heartless busy! You gotta finish the race!"

"Goofy..." Kairi was touched by Goofy's self-sacrifice.

"Goofy, are you sure you got this?" asked the worried Sora.

Goofy gave Sora and Kairi his signature thumbs-up in confirmation. "You can count on me, Sora. You just worry about helping the Princess get her Fragment back." Goofy continued repelling more and more Heartless that came towards his way.

As much as Sora wanted to help Goofy, he knew he was right. They still need to get the Heart Fragment. Aside from that, Goofy can take care of himself. "Okay, we'll finish this race for you, Goofy," vowed Sora.

"Goofy, thank you," said the touched Kairi.

Sora and Kairi used proper leg pressure once again to get their chocobos on the move once again. Sora and Kairi were now near the first checkpoint. Sora then commanded his black chocobo to leap into the air. As soon as Sora was near a ballon, Sora immediately grabbed a hanging badge, releasing the balloon while he was at it. Kairi followed the example. However, as soon as she was high enough, Kairi failed in retrieving badge, as her fingertips merely tapped the edge of the badge. Kairi was distressed when she realized she was about to be disqualified. However, her distress quickly disappeared when Mog quickly climbed up Kairi's hand and grabbed a badge and released the balloon from it.

"Mog got on, kupo!" Mog cheered.

"Oh, thank you, Mog!" Kairi smiled gave Mog a 'thank you' hug, much to the moogle's joy.

Now that Sora and Kairi have received their first badge, all that was left now was the next two checkpoints.

* * *

Selphie and Elena watched Goofy fight off against the Heartless group. In doing so, other jockeys have used it to their advantage and dashed right past Goofy and the Heartless, while others were too afraid to get close to the dangerous and unpredictable Heartless.

**Look at that, folks! I don't know what those things are, but it looks like our competitor Goofy has officially dropped out of the race! Now, he's holding those creatures at bay and giving the other jockeys the chance to get ahead. Talk about heroism, ladies and gentlemen!**

Pluto began barking wildly at the sight of the Heartless. From what Selphie and Elena noticed, this wasn't the first time Pluto had seen the Heartless.

"Just what are those things?" Elena wondered.

"I don't know, but it looks like Kairi and her friends have encountered these things before..." realized Selphie. _**Sora...Kairi...please be careful...**_

* * *

Donald continued on ahead of the race, making his way to a canyon, surrounded by trees. As Donald raced through the track on his blue chocobo, a few jockeys have managed to dash past Donald.

**Our next part of the race takes place in Cosmo Canyon!**

Donald then used proper leg pressure to get his chocobo to run as quick as it can, determined to win the race. Riku, who had been watching Donald from far away, couldn't help but be amused to Donald's determination to win the race.

"He's really getting into it," mused Riku. Sora and Kairi had finally managed to catch up to Riku, just in time to see Donald speed off. "I heard about Goofy. Tough break."

"Someone is probably controlling the Heartless to sabotage the entire race," theorized Sora.

"There's bound to be more of them out here," thought Riku, "We'd better our eyes peeled from now on." Sora and Kairi nodded in agreement and remained vigilant for any more Heartless that may appear. Sora was just about ready to draw his Keyblade at the first sign of a Heartless.

The trio continued racing towards Cosmo Canyon, just in time to see Donald speed off with more jockeys and find more badges hanging on balloons for the jockeys to grab on. Donald commanded his blue chocobo, Mother Goose, to leap into the air, just high enough for Donald to grab a badge from one of the balloons. Now, Donald only needed one more to win the race.

Sora, Kairi, and Riku used proper leg pressure to command their chocobos to speed up towards the second checkpoint. Unfortunately, midway, their chocobos came to a complete halt paced around wildly as the group encountered another batch of unexpected enemies: Heartless!

"Here, too!" yelled Kairi in panic.

"They're blocking our way!" exclaimed Sora.

"Well, looks like this is my stop." Riku calmly jumped off of his chocobo, drawing his sword. Riku then patted his chocobo, calming it down, before moving close to the side of the big bird's head. "Blur, I need you to hide somewhere, safe, okay?" requested caring Riku. The white chocobo ran off to hide somewhere safe, while Riku had his sword ready at the hand to defeat the group of Heartless. "You two go on ahead."

"But, Riku..." Mog was worried about Riku's safety, especially since the silver-haired teenager was withdrawing from the race.

"Don't worry about me," assured Riku, "I'll hold off these guys. Sora, Princess Kairi, I'll see you guys at the award cermony." Riku gave a small salute to two young teenagers, as a sign of trust.

Kairi was once again touched by another one of her friends' loyalty and self-sacrifice. _**They're all doing so much for me...**_ "Riku, thank you," said the touched Kairi.

"We'll see you later, Riku," vowed Sora, "Let's go, Princess."

"Yes," nodded Kairi.

With Riku watching their backs, Sora and Kairi sped off with their chocobos. Following Donald's example, Sora and Kairi leaped into the air grabbing their own badges from one of the balloons.

While Riku fought off against the Heartless, many other racers left sped past warring group.

**Blur has forfeited the race. Riku is officially out of the race. But most shocking of all, folks, these dark creatures have appeared once again! This is so unbelievable, folks!**

Now that Sora and Kairi were out of the Cosmo Canyon course, all that awaits them ahead is the third checkpoint. However, they know, as well as their friends, that there was bound to be more Heartless swarming around the next checkpoint, just waiting for Sora and Kairi to appear.

"I'm going to go on ahead," informed Sora.

"Please be careful, Sora," Kairi cautioned her friend.

Receiving Kairi's go-ahead, Sora, with the help of his black chocobo, Black Knight, sped right across the other jockeys, who, in turn, were surprised and caught off-guard when they saw Sora zip right passed them.

**Wow! Look at that, folks! Sora and his chocobo, Black Knight, have managed to dash right passed our other jockeys! This is so exciting, folks! Our very own Sora is about to come across the Mount Nibelheim course.  
**

The next part of the course, Sora came across a mountain course. It was most likely that the third and final checkpoint is sitting right on top of this mountainous region. Donald should be just ahead of the course, considering that the magician was trying so hard to win the race, not just to retrieve Kairi's Heart Fragment, but also for the sake of pride. As he was racing up on the mountain tracks, he managed to catch up to someone he had met at the banquet. A familiar teenager that he had just made friends with, while in this world.

"Glad you could make it," Max waved to Sora, "What do you say the two of us race across these mountains?"

"Sure," nodded Sora.

"Think you can keep up?" Max challenged Sora in a friendly manner.

As Max began to increase his speed, Sora began to follow the example. Though this race was important to Sora and his friends, Sora saw no reason to also have some fun with his new friend while he was at it.

The two friends ran and ran around the dangerous track of Mt. Nibelheim. The tracks got narrow on some parts, making it even difficult for other racers to overtake each other. However, despite the natural obstacles the mountains posed, Sora had still managed to catch up with him, even going so far as to ride side-by-side with him.

The race was going on smoothly. Unfortunately, the arrival of a few unexpected figures had put a complete stop to them. Sora and Max had no time to react as a group of dark figures jumped them from above.

"H-hey!" Max and his chocobo struggled to get the Heartless, that grabbed onto them, off. "Let go of me!" Soon, Max's chocobo ran and kicked its legs out of control, as they both struggled to get the Heartless off of their backs.

Meanwhile, a group of Heartless seemed to have stopped Sora completely, as they completely engulfed Sora. Fortunately, Sora drew his Keyblade to break up the group of Heartless that engulfed him. As Sora continued to ride the course, Sora used his Keyblade to knock away any Heartless that tried to ambush him. As Sora was fighting off the Heartless using hit-and-run tactics, he noticed Max and his chocobo having problems with the Heartless. But what he also noticed was that Max and his Heartless here heading straight towards the edge of a cliff, and off the mountain.

"I said let go!" Max demanded the Heartless.

"Max, look out!" yelled Sora.

The Heartless finally jumped off of Max and his chocobo, just in time for the young chocobo jockey to see where he was heading. "Whoa, boy!" Max tugged on his reins, trying desperately to make his chocobo stop in its tracks. But it was too late. Max and his chocobo had already slid off completely off of the cliff. Max screamed as he found himself falling down towards his demise.

"Black Knight, let's go!" Sora ordered his chocobo. Using proper leg pressure and whipping his reins down, the black chocobo picked up its speed, racing towards Max and his chocobo. Sora used his Keyblade to knock away and cut down any Heartless that stood in his way.

Sora then bravely had his chocobo leap off of the cliff towards Max and his chocobo. "Sora, what are you doing!?" demanded Max, "Are you trying to get yourself killed!?"

However, that was not the case. Although Sora knew of the risks he was taking, he wasn't about to lose a new friend in the race, especially if it meant that he was officially withdrawing from the race. Sora had his chocobo make a leap of faith, shocking all the spectators.

**Oh my, folks!! Sora and the Black Knight have just jumped off a cliff!!**

* * *

Donald, while riding along the mountain of Mt. Nibelheim, looked back as he heard the announcement. _**He what!?**_

* * *

Riku and Goofy were just as shocked to hear what the announcer had just reported, while they fought off the Heartless.

* * *

From the chopper, hovering above the racing course, Elena and Selphie were shocked as well, as they had witnessed Sora making his leap of faith off of the cliff, after his friend. Pluto, who was watching the race with them, covered his eyes with his ears, not wanting to see what will happen next...

"What's he doing?" asked the shocked Selphie.

"Forget what he's doing," said Elena, "What's he thinking!?"

* * *

Kairi and Mog were of no exception. Hearing her friend's action had caused her heart to fill with distress. Sora was about to lose his life.

"Sora!!" Kairi yelled in distress.

* * *

Now that Sora and his black chocobo are falling off the cliff, along with Max and his chocobo, Sora leaped off of his chocobo, with his Keyblade in hand.

"Just sit tight, Max!" Sora advised. Using his Keyblade, Sora began to produce a magical element from his weapon, surprising Max. Thanks to the magic training that Sora had received from Donald, Sora produced a wind-elemental magic, which began to blow around Sora, Max, and their chocobos. Thanks to the wind, Sora, Max, and their chocobos had gently descended to the lower grounds, but completely out of the race track, thus barring these two young teenagers from the race. Thankfully, despite the fact that they were disqualified, the two young teenagers had not suffered any injuries, nor their own demise.

"Man, that was a close one," Max sighed in relief, "Thanks, Sora. I owe you one."

"Sorry you got disqualified, though," Sora apologized, feeling a little guilty.

"What are you apologizing for, Sora?" asked the puzzled Max, "You shouldn't say sorry just for saving my life. If I were in your position, I would have done the same thing, no questions asked." Sora couldn't help but smile in agreement. It seems that Max has not taken the entire fact that he was now disqualified offensively. Thankfully, thanks to Sora's wind magic, their chocobos had also managed to make it down to the lower levels safely.

* * *

After word of Sora and Max's accident had occurred, Kairi had commanded her pink chocobo to pick up its speed and rush to where Sora and Max are at Mt. Nibelheim. Worry took over Kairi as she raced to help her friend. For all she knew, Sora could have been injured, po ssibly a lot worst than he ever was when they were at other worlds.

Just as Kairi entered Mt. Nibelheim, Kairi frantically searched for her missing friend, as she continued racing the course. _**Sora, please be safe! Please tell me you're okay!**_ The Princess continued running and running. Not only was Kairi searching for Sora and Max, but assisting her was Mog, who looked left and right, while standing on her head. As soon as Kairi reached midway of Mt. Nibelheim, Mog found something.

"Kairi, Mog found Sora, kupo!" Mog informed Kairi.

"Where is he?" asked the worried Princess.

"He's down below." Mog pointed downwards, off of the cliff.

Kairi pulled on her reins, ordering her pink chocobo to come to a complete stop, just in time to see Sora and Max checking up on their chocobos for any injuries. "Sora, are you okay?" Kairi yelled at a distance.

Sora and Max looked up to see Kairi looking down upon them, while riding on her pink chocobo. "We're fine, Princess!" replied Sora, "Go on ahead!"

"But--" Even though her Heart Fragment was at stake in this race, she didn't want to leave Sora behind, especially at where he was at.

"It's okay," Sora assured bravely, "You can still win this. I believe in you, Princess."

Sora's words did not betray Kairi, not even the eyes that believed in the Princess had failed to show how much faith he has in the Princess. "Okay, Sora," Kairi nodded in affirmation, "I'll see you at the ceremonies."

Mog received a message in his comlink from Pluto. "Kairi, Pluto said that Selphie and Elena are on their way to pick up Sora and Max, kupo," Mog notified.

"I see," said Kairi, "Thanks for letting me know, Mog. Sora, I'll see you soon. Rose, let's go." Kairi used proper leg pressure, once again, commanding her pink chocobo to start running. Waving to her friend, Kairi rode off towards the peak of Mt. Nibelheim, with Sora and Max seeing her off.

After seeing Kairi ride off into the race, Sora and Max felt powerful winds blowing at them. Upon looking up to see where the wind was coming from, Sora and Max found a chopper hovering above them, with Selphie waving at them and Pluto by her side. "Heeeeey!!" Selphie waved at the two young teenagers. Pluto nudged off a rope ladder for the two to grab on. "Climb aboard, you two!"

"What about Black Knight and Swift?" asked the concerned Max.

"Don't worry, we've sent in a retrieval unit to pick them up," Elena responded, via the chopper's intercom, "Just climb in."

Seeing no other choice, Max reluctantly took hold of the rope ladder and began climbing up into the chopper. Sora stayed behind to cover Max's back, and to be there in case Max slipped on the rope ladder. Max had managed to climb up, just enough to have Selphie and Pluto help him in. Sora followed after Max, and earned the same help Max was offered upon reaching the entrance of the chopper.

"Elena, can you take us to where Princess Kairi is?" requested Sora.

"Hang on." Elena made an about-face with the chopper and began to hover towards the location of Kairi and her chocobo. "Tseng, Reno, Rude, we've extracted Sora and Max, and we're heading to where Sora's friends are. How are things on your end?" Elena spoke through her comlink.

"We just got silver-head and the dog-guy out," Reno reported through her comlink, "The rest of the jockeys backed out and just headed back to Gold Saucer."

"We're heading back there now so these two can receive medical inspection," said Rude.

"Elena, continued monitoring the race and be on the lookout for anything suspicious," Tseng directed the blonde Turk.

"Understood," responded Elena.

"Sora, those black...things...just what were those things?" Selphie questioned.

"...Heartless..." Sora had found it strange. _**What are the Heartless doing here?**_

The Chocobo Race was still under way. With Sora, Goofy, and Riku out of the race, it was now up to Donald and Kairi. Donald was still leading the race, with Kairi doing her best to catch up to the magician.

The only question was: who will reach the goal first?

* * *

**_To be continued…_**

**_

* * *

_A/N: Just so no one gets confused about this chapter, chapter 37 was just revised for better understanding. I hope this doesn't complicate things. As usual, enjoy!**

**A/N 2: Sorry about the delay, viewers. Math class is a pain.  
**


	39. The Finish Line

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

**"Don't you worry about me!" Goofy called out, as he began repelling the Heartless, "I'll keep these Heartless busy! You gotta finish the race!"**

**"Goofy..." Kairi was touched by Goofy's self-sacrifice.**

**"Goofy, are you sure you got this?" asked the worried Sora.**

**Goofy gave Sora and Kairi his signature thumbs-up in confirmation. "You can count on me, Sora. You just worry about helping the Princess get her Fragment back." Goofy continued repelling more and more Heartless that came towards his way.**

* * *

**"Well, looks like this is my stop." Riku calmly jumped off of his chocobo, drawing his sword. Riku then patted his chocobo, calming it down, before moving close to the side of the big bird's head. "Blur, I need you to hide somewhere, safe, okay?" requested caring Riku. The white chocobo ran off to hide somewhere safe, while Riku had his sword ready at the hand to defeat the group of Heartless. "You two go on ahead."**

**"But, Riku..." Mog was worried about Riku's safety, especially since the silver-haired teenager was withdrawing from the race.**

**"Don't worry about me," assured Riku, "I'll hold off these guys. Sora, Princess Kairi, I'll see you guys at the award ceremony." Riku gave a small salute to two young teenagers, as a sign of trust.**

* * *

**Kairi pulled on her reins, ordering her pink chocobo to come to a complete stop, just in time to see Sora and Max checking up on their chocobos for any injuries. "Sora, are you okay?" Kairi yelled at a distance.**

**Sora and Max looked up to see Kairi looking down upon them, while riding on her pink chocobo. "We're fine, Princess!" replied Sora, "Go on ahead!"**

**"But--" Even though her Heart Fragment was at stake in this race, she didn't want to leave Sora behind, especially at where he was at.**

**"It's okay," Sora assured bravely, "You can still win this. I believe in you, Princess."**

**Sora's words did not betray Kairi, not even the eyes that believed in the Princess had failed to show how much faith he has in the Princess. "Okay, Sora," Kairi nodded in affirmation, "I'll see you at the ceremonies."**

* * *

_**Chapter 39: The Finish Line  
**_

* * *

Donald was still leading the race. So far, he had already made it past Mt. Nibelheim, along with some other jockeys that he had been riding with or against. Now Donald had to remain vigilant. If his friends had encountered the Heartless during their race, then he could be next, or the Princess might get ambushed.

**Except for Rose, all of our jockeys have made it to the third checkpoint, ladies and gentlemen! Now, they must race towards Rocket Town, where the third badge awaits them!**

The third checkpoint was a long way from Mt. Nibelheim. It was going to take a long time for any of the jockeys to make it. "Let's go!" Donald used proper leg pressure to command his blue chocobo to pick up speed and charge right past the other jockeys, much to their dismay.

**Wow! Look at that, folks! Our fan favorite, Donald, has sped his way up to the lead! This is exciting, folks!**

Kairi and Rose had finally made it out of the second course and have arrived at the third part of the course. "Rose, let's do this," Kairi whispered to Rose, "Mog, hold on tight, okay?"

"You got it, kupo!" Mog cheered Kairi, before hanging on tightly.

Kairi followed Donald's example and commanded her pink chocobo to pick up its speed. Rose made a quick dash past the other jockeys that were ahead of her, again, much to the dismay of other jockeys. Kairi and her chocobo had managed to catch up to Donald.

**Oh my, ladies and gentlemen! Our very own Kairi has just caught up with the fan-favorite, Donald. I'm just at the edge of my seat here, folks!**

Donald and Kairi kept their speed up, as they both did what they could to race towards the finish line. Either way, it didn't matter who won the race, because both of them were seeking the Heart Fragment. Although, Donald was in it for some personal glory, but not all the way within his heart. He knew better than to let his pride get in the way of their original mission.

* * *

Unknown to the rest of the party, who were watching Donald and Kairi race with and against each other, there was an unknown man watching from within a monitor room.

"Go forth..."

* * *

Just as Donald and Kairi were continuing the race, an unexpected party appeared above Donald and Kairi. A large group of small Heartless appeared right above Kairi, waiting to grab the defenseless Princess.

"Look out!" Mog cried out, grabbing Donald's attention.

Mog and Kairi put their arms over their head, trying, in vain, to protect themselves from the incoming Heartless. Donald looked back in time to see the Heartless closing in on his friends. Although Donald wanted so much to win this race for his friends and for himself, there were more important things than personal glory. Kairi can't defend herself against a pack of Heartless, not to mention Mog. "Aw phooey!" Donald grumbled to himself, as he realized he is also throwing away his chance to win something big. But then again, it was the most noble thing for Donald to do. Donald commanded his blue chocobo to skid to a stop and run back. The Heartless were getting closer and closer and closer. Before the Heartless had a chance to grab onto Kairi, Donald leaped into the air, and successfully blocked the Heartless from Kairi. The Heartless instead latched onto Donald and his blue chocobo, now focusing on the magician.

Kairi had her pink chocobo stop in her tracks, in time to see Donald wrestling around as the Heartless completely covered him and his chocobo, and just enough to have some of the chocobo jockeys take advantage of Donald's distraction and overtake Donald and Kairi. "Donald!" Kairi yelled in distress.

The Heartless continued to torment Donald, until, suddenly, the Heartless were immediately blown off, thanks to Donald's wind magic, which surrounded him and his blue chocobo. Donald then hopped off of his chocobo, ordering his blue chocobo to hide somewhere safe, just like the rest of his friends had done. "Princess, go on ahead!" commanded Donald.

"But..." Kairi was fully aware that her Heart Fragment was on the line, but she didn't want to leave any of her friends behind to fend off the Heartless.

Donald continued to repel the Heartless with his magic spells, while Kairi watched on. "You decided to do this, Princess," reminded Donald, "We're leaving the rest to you now."

"I understand," the Princess nodded, before taking off.

Kairi continued dashing on the race course. Kairi arrived at the third checkpoint, which showed numerous balloons with badges hanging by their ropes. Like before, Kairi commanded her pink chocobo, Rose, to leap into the air, to be in reach of a badge. With Mog's assistance, Kairi was successful in retrieving the third the final badge that is required at the finish line. All that was left to do now was the cross the finish line...

* * *

Sora, Selphie, Pluto, Elena, and Max arrived at Donald's location, just in time to see Donald fighting off the Heartless. After Donald finished off the last of the Heartless, Sora and Max opened the chopper's door and waved down towards Donald.

"Donald!" Sora waved towards the magician.

Max threw out a rope ladder for Donald to grab onto. "Grab on!"

As Elena watched Sora and his friends extract Donald from the field, the female Turk member received a call via her comlink. "This is Elena," she responded on her comlink.

It's Reno. Tseng and I are monitoring the jockeys from the footage in the security room. So far, we haven't seen any suspicious behavior from the jockeys.

"Then, the perpetrator isn't racing among them," realized Elena.

Which means that the perpetrator is operating from the inside.

"Are you guys already looking into it?" asked Elena.

We've got Rude and the security team searching the building. It's only a matter of time before we catch this guy. In the meantime, I need you to report back here immediately and lend us some support in apprehending the suspect. Not only that, but Selphie has some visitors that want to speak with her.

"Understood," she complied, before shutting off her comlink, "Selphie, change of plans."

"Did something happen, Miss Elena?" asked Selphie.

"Tseng and the others think that the suspect is hiding in Gold Saucer," Elena reported to Selphie, "I need to report back to help in the search. And it looks like you've got some explaining to do, too." With that said, Elena made an about-face and began hovering towards their next destination, with Sora and the others tagging along.

Sora looked back to watch Kairi continue on with the race, as well as see Donald's chocobo getting recovered by the recovery team. It was like what Donald said. The rest is all up to Kairi. The party must now place their faith in the Princess. _**I know you can do this, Princess...**_

* * *

During the chocobo race, Kairi was doing well on holding her ground. Despite that there were still other jockeys ahead of her, the Princess showed no signs of being worried of her loss, nor that she was not in the lead yet. She simply had faith and confidence in herself. And with her friends supporting her all the way, there was nothing to worry about.

**The jockeys are just halfway towards the finish, folks! But they've still got a long way to go. We're all just hanging off the edge of our seats here, folks!**

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Gold Saucer, in the chocobo square, Goofy and Riku were seen watching one of the TV screens around the main hall. Selphie, along with Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Max, arrived in the hallway, where Goofy and Riku noticed their presence.

"Is something the matter?" asked Selphie

"Well, yeah, but I think Goofy will do the talking," Riku responded to Selphie.

"Selphie, I think this whole race is too coincidental," Goofy explained truthfully, "Heartless appearing, accidents happening, this can't be just a coincidence."

"You know what? Goofy's right. Selphie, what's going on?" questioned the suspicious Donald.

Selphie looked around her, and noticed the party and Max were watching her intently, and almost suspiciously. Sephie's facial expression showed no signs of being scared, worried, or even hesitant. Yet, she was not expressing any denial about Goofy and Donald's suspicions about the chocobo race.

"I was the one who sabotaged the race," Selphie confessed, showing no regrets.

"Is that so?" Riku said, crossing his arms.

"But the only race I tampered with was the qualifying race," she added in, "I was the one who ordered the chocobo feeds to be drugged with sleeping medicine."

"But why would you do something like that?" asked Goofy, who couldn't believe what he or the rest of his friends were hearing.

"Because, in truth...I'm trying to give the Fragment to Kairi," Selphie revealed. The party was surprised. All this time, it was so that Kairi could get her Fragment. Yet, of all people, Selphie was helping them from right under their noses. "It happened last year. I was taking part in an expedition. My excavation team found a mysterious source of energy, a fragment of light, from under the ocean. But some time later, _he_ appeared and told me that that Fragment belonged to Kairi. But, that was after we went public when we reported its finding."

"Oh, so that's what this was all about, eh?" Reno announced as he walked into the hallway, along with Tseng.

"I can suspect that because there are other people that want this Fragment, you couldn't simply hand over the Fragment while there were others going for it," Tseng surmised, surprising Sora and his friends with his intelligence.

"So you've figured it out," Selphie noticed, "Then you know why I placed the Fragment as the prize for this race."

"It took us quite while, but yeah," Reno shrugged lazily.

"You're not going to arrest her, are you?" asked the alert Sora.

"Don't worry, kid," Tseng assured the Keyblade master, "No one got hurt in the incident, so she's okay."

"There's something that got me wondering, Selphie," Riku spoke up, grabbing Selphie's attention, "What would happen if one of us didn't win?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," said Selphie, "He was the one who told me that I can trust you and your friends."

"'He?'" Donald raised his eyebrow in a questioning gesture, "Who are you talking about?"

Before Selphie could answer Donald's question, Reno's cellphone emitted a unique ringtone, grabbing everyone's attention. The red-haired Turk member picked up his cellphone. "This is Reno."

Reno, it's Rude. I found the perpetrator, but he got away.

"You're slipping, Rude," Reno teased his bald friend.

Well, I was at a disadvantage. He wasn't using a normal weapon. He was something else...

"All right, we'll order the security team to sweep the floors," said Reno, "I bet this guy won't get far."

Roger that.

"This guy's pretty slippery," mused the red-haired Turk member, "We're going to have to have the security search the entire building."

"All right, I'll make the call." Elena took hold of her walkie-talkie and began ordering the security team to sweep Gold Saucer.

"In the meantime, let's watch the race." Selphie turned her attention towards the large TV screen, focusing solely on Kairi.

Sora and his friends immediately looked towards the TV screen, placing their faith in the Princess. _**Princess...good luck.**_

* * *

The chocobo jockeys continued the race, with the finish line in sight. Every chocobo jockey were now giving it all they've got, and used the leg pressure to command their chocobo speed things up.

**Our jockeys have now made it halfway with the finish waiting for them at Rocket Town. It's just a matter of time before we find out who will win this race! Oh, but what's this!?**

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Kairi, with her chocobo, Rose, sped up past the jockeys, surprising them in the process.

**Wow! Unbelievable, folks! Our very own Kairi, along with her chocobo, Rose, have just gained the speed to take the lead!**

"Mog, hold on tight!" exclaimed the determined Kairi, before commanding her chocobo to pick up speed once more.

"Hurry, Kairi, they're gaining on us, kupo!" exclaimed the worried moogle.

"Don't worry, Mog. We'll win for sure," assured the Princess, "Rose, let's win this race."

As if the pink chocobo understood Kairi, Rose, this time, gave it her all. As if granted the strength from an unknown source, Rose immediately dashed off, leaving the other shocked jockeys to be nothing but a spec in the view. Kairi found herself getting closer and closer to Rocket Town, where there were many spectators awaiting her. Soon, the Princess arrived in the town, before passing over the a checkered line, causing a horn to blow and confetti to be littered all around the Kairi.

**GOAL!! What a miracle, folks!! Rose has made it to the finish line in a spectacular run!! Kairi did it!!**

Kairi rode on her pink chocobo, looking around confused as to what was going on. People were cheering the Princess and applauding her. Did she really do it?

Mog, happy for Kairi's ultimate success, gave the Princess well-deserved pecks on her right cheek. "Kiss, kiss! A congratulatory kiss, kupo!" Mog cheered as she gave Kairi kisses.

"Is...is it over?" the confused Kairi asked, still not believing what just happened.

"Yup! You won!" Mog exclaimed happily.

"Did...I really...?" Kairi couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was a complete miracle. For the first time, she had actually accomplished something so great, not just for her friends, but for herself. Mog let out his signature "kupo," in confirmation of Kairi's victory. The Princess, couldn't believe it. It was so great! Kairi did all she could to hold it in, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. Taking Mog in her arms, Kairi gave the moogle the greatest hug she had ever given him. "We did it, Mog!!" yelled the happy and proud Kairi. Kairi continued to hold the happy Mog in her arms, as she hopped off of her pink chocobo. Rose rubbed her head up against Kairi's, showing how happy she was for the Princess. "We did it, Rose!" The spectators continued to cheer the Princess, going so far as to chant her name.

"Kairi! Kairi! Kairi! Kairi! Kairi! Kairi! Kairi--"

* * *

Back at the chocobo square, Donald and Goofy jumped for joy for Kairi, while Pluto barked for joy as well.

"Oh boy!" yelled the happy Donald.

"She did it!" cheered Goofy.

Riku whistled a victorious whistle for Kairi.

"Heh, who would have thought the cutie would win," mused Reno.

"I have to admit, she's really something," commented Elena.

Selphie smiled for the Princess, upon seeing her victory. "Congratulations, Kairi," commended Selphie, "The Fragment is now yours."

Sora, held a proud smile for the Princess, as he watched her being surrounded by numerous fans. It reminded the Keyblade master of how much Kairi was popular. Even in this world, Kairi is loved by many. Max couldn't help but notice how much fans Kairi was getting, considering that this is her first time as a chocobo jockey. "She's great, isn't she?" said Max.

"Yeah, she's something else," Sora said proudly, "But...it's not over."

"Hmm? Why not?" asked the puzzled Max.

"Because the culprit is still out there somewhere..." realized Sora.

* * *

Night had fallen. At the top of the Gold Saucer, neon lights illuminated a stage, where Sora and his friends, camera men, as well as the Turks stood. Selphie held some kind of trophy, with a Fragment inside a glass ball at the top. The trophy resembled that of a scepter.

**The winner of this chocobo race, is not only the cutest, but she is also the fastest one of all. She is none other than our very own...Kairi!!**

A spot light shined over Kairi, who had Mog on her right shoulder. Kairi saw how many people were applauding her. She couldn't believe how much fans she was getting. Not only that, but what made her smile was that her friends were also there on the stage, applauding the Princess, and smiling towards her. The participating chocobos were also there to jump for joy, in celebration of Kairi's ultimate triumph. Then, the applauding ceased, and Selphie approached Kairi, with the trophy in her arms. Mog, who was still standing on Kairi's shoulder, widened his eyes as soon as the Fragment was near the moogle.

"Congratulations, Kairi," Selphie smiled, as she handed the trophy to Kairi, just as the crowd began applauding for their heroine.

"Thank you, Selphie," Kairi smiled back, as she receives her first place prize. With the trophy in her arms, Kairi waved to the crowd, who continued to applaud her. Kairi then turned her attention to her friends. Goofy and Donald gave her a thumbs-up. Riku clapped his hands for Kairi. And Sora smiled for the Princess, showing her that he had always had faith in her, causing the Princess to smile happily to Sora.

Max noticed how much Sora and Kairi were smiling to each other. "Ohh, you two are awfully close, eh?"

"H-huh?" Sora didn't realize that Max noticed, causing the Keyblade master to blush in embarrassment.

Selphie aside with Kairi, applauding her. Kairi held her trophy up in the air in triumph, with Mog standing up on the trophy, waving his little paws towards the crowd. Kairi still couldn't believe she had won this race by herself, but she couldn't be any happier in knowing that she had succeeded.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, an explosion appearing behind Kairi and Selphie, blowing the girls foward.

"Princess!!" Sora immediately ran to Kairi. Seeing Kairi caught in the explosion caused Sora to panic. He couldn't bear to see Kairi hurt so bad. As the smoke began to clear, Sora saw Kairi getting up from the ground. Luckily, she wasn't injured. "Princess, are you okay?" asked the concerned Sora.

"Yes, I'm okay," Kairi nodded. Sora and Kairi then noticed the glass globe began to show cracks, due to the explosion.

"What's going on!?" Donald exclaimed.

"Cut the feed, now! We're off the air!" Reno ordered the camera man.

"Y-yes sir!" replied the hesitant camera man. The camera man immediately shut off his camera and ran out of the exit, along with the other crew members.

After the crew members evacuated the stage, the smoke from the explosion began to clear up. From the smoke, someone emerged from it. Sora and his friends didn't know who this person was, as he was wearing a long black hooded-trench coat, with the hood over his head. "So, you've finally showed yourself." Tseng and his Turk colleagues drew their respective weapons, ready to apprehend this mysterious figure.

The mysterious figure raised his right hand towards the Turks. The Turks went on the defense, not knowing what this person was about to pull off. Then, from out of the blue, a dark energy orb flew out of the figure's hand, knocking back Tseng.

"Boss!" Elena cried out, as she watched her superior get blown back. Elena was about to pull the trigger on her handgun, but it wasn't fast enough to strike first, as the blonde was hit by the same dark energy as Tseng.

"Rude, go left!" Reno took the right side, with his electro-mag rod in hand. The two Turks had surrounded the mysterious figure. Rude charged at the figure's left side, while Reno charged from the right. Rude was to try to seize the opportunity to seize the figure, while Reno delivered the finishing touch with this weapon. As Rude was about to wrap his arms in a bear hug around the figure, the figure instead jumped high into the air, completely dodging Rude's restraining intent. Instead, Reno, mistakenly, had his electro-mag rod ready at the wrong time. Reno was about to get the change to shock the figure, by the time Rude seized the figure. Instead, with the figure out of the way, Reno found himself shocking his partner instead, rendering Rude incapacitated. "Whoops..."

The figure landed behind Reno, who looked behind him, in time to find the figure's foot coming up on his face. The red-haired Turk was knocked away from the figure's sight.

"So...he uses the power of darkness..." Selphie realized, as she watched the Turks being easily defeated. Sora and Kairi looked at Selphie. How could she know something like that? "Sora, hurry! Put the Fragment inside Kairi!"

Sora and his party were now shocked. Selphie couldn't have known how to give the Fragment back to Kairi. "How did you know about that?" asked the surprised Riku.

The mysterious figure then turned his attention towards Kairi. As he opened his hand towards the Princess, the glass on her trophy shattered, leaving the Fragment levitating before her. Then, the Fragment began hovering towards the mysterious figure's hand. "The Fragment shall be mine," the mysterious figure declared.

"The Fragment!" Donald alerted to the others.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku were about to put a stop to the figure's plans, until Pluto, with Mog on his head, stood before them, facing the figure. With Mog on Pluto's head, Mog opened his mouth wide, and created a powerful vacuum, sucking in some air. Before the Fragment could land in the figure's hand, the Fragment was instead led away from his hand, and into Mog's mouth. "What!?" The figure couldn't believe what just happened.

"Nice work, Mog," Riku complimented the moogle.

"That's one of Mog's 108 secret techniques: Super Suction Power, kupo!" Mog said happily.

The figure grunted in frustration as he had lost the Fragment to Mog, of all things. Suddenly, he felt something being pointed to his head. A gun. "Stay where you are," ordered the recovered Tseng, "You've got nowhere to run. Security will be here any minute."

Reno helped his stunned partner, Rude, back to his feet. "Just wait until I get my hands on you, soon," vowed Reno.

From under his hood, the mysterious figure smirked in amusement. "This is rather unfortunate," the figure mused. The mysterious figure watched as Sora received the Heart Fragment from Mog and putting the Fragment inside the Princess. Kairi moaned as she felt the sudden return of her Heart Fragment and her memories, enough to put the Princess to sleep for now. "How ironic...to be beaten by a strange creature...just like in Paris."

"Mog isn't a strange creature," complained the insulted Mog, "Mog is Mog, kupo!"

"Hey, wait a minute," Goofy spoke up, "Did he say, 'Paris?'"

There was only one person that they remembered from Paris. In fact, it was an enemy they had once encountered, before he made his escape. "It can't be..." Sora finally realized who this perpetrator is. "You're...!"

The mysterious figure reached up for his hood and pulled it back, at long last, revealing who he is. "It's been quite a while, Sora," Saix greeted his enemy.

* * *

Elsewhere, Xemnas and Larxene were watching the entire scene unfold before them... Who knows what was transpiring in their minds, as they watched Saix fail to retrieve the Heart Fragment?

* * *

"Sora, you may have won this time, but rest assured...I will return..." Seeing as how he can do no more, Saix immediately grabbed Tseng's arm and threw him towards Reno and Rude. The two Turks caught their boss, but the force was enough to make them collapse, upon catching their superior. Saix immediately made a run for it, and opened himself a dark portal to another world, just like the one he disappeared to in Paris. Upon entering the portal, the portal shut itself, preventing anyone from following after Saix.

Sora could only watch as Saix made his escape once again, while cradling the sleeping Kairi in his arms.

"Looks like he's gone...or rather, he went to another world," noted Riku.

Reno and Rude helped their superior up to his feet. "You okay, Boss?" asked Rude.

"I'm okay," Tseng nodded in confirmation.

"It's just like he said," Selphie realized.

Donald and Goofy turned their attention towards Selphie. She kept referring to "he." "That's right! You keep talking about this person. Just who is he?"

"A visitor from another world," answered Selphie, "I think his name was......King Mickey."

"WHAAAAAT!!? THE KING WAS HERE!!?" Donald and Goofy yelled out loud in shock.

* * *

_It was nighttime in Gold Saucer, in the Ghost Square Inn. Selphie was wearing her nightgown at this hour, along with her robe covering her. In the middle of the night, Selphie encountered a short figure, wearing a black-hooded trench coat, with two large circles on the hood._

_"What I'm about to tell you is very important," informed Mickey, "And it concerns the Fragment and the existence of other worlds, and that one day, a group of travelers will arrive in this world."  
_

_Selphie couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Fragment that she discovered, other worlds other than hers, a group of people coming to this world. "Who are you?" asked the confused Selphie._

_"I am King Mickey," Mickey introduced himself, "I come from a different world. Like yours, there are many worlds out there." Selphie looked deep in Mickey's eyes. From what she can see, Mickey was speaking nothing but the truth. There was no ounce of deception within them. "It's very important, that you return that Fragment to its proper owner. But be warned, there are others from different worlds who will seek it out."_

* * *

Sora and his friends were back in the Ghost Square Inn, having heard Selphie's entire story of how she came into contact with King Mickey. While Selphie was explaining her side of the story, Sora laid the sleeping Kairi gently on a sofa. Mog slept next to Kairi, providing her some company. Pluto came in with a blanket and draped it over Kairi and Mog with his teeth.

"So he showed up to here that night," noted Donald.

"Yes," Selphie nodded to the magician.

"So if we think about it, this was really King Mickey's plan from the very beginning," commented Riku.

"Who would've thought it was the work of an outsider?" Reno shrugged, "He should've known how much trouble we went through."

"I not only owe an apology to all of you," admitted Selphie, "But...I also owe an apology to Kairi, too." Selphie eyed the sleeping Kairi. She realized that even though she saw Kairi as a very close friend, she reluctantly had to put her in danger as well, just so she can return her Heart Fragment. She knew in her heart that Kairi didn't have to go through all that. Yet, despite the dangers that threatened her, everything turned out fine. She not only had her friends help her out, but she also earned the Fragment, all by herself.

Selphie then noticed that Donald and Goofy were stepping outside. From the way they reacted when she told them that she met King Mickey, she could tell that they were thinking about their beloved King.

* * *

Donald and Goofy looked upwards into the starry sky. Donald and Goofy wished in their very hearts that they could have met the King, in person. However, they were just one step behind. They wondered when they will get the see him again.

"He's still out there somewhere, Donald," Goofy spoke up, as he continued to stare into the stars.

"...Yeah..." Donald simply replied, as he kept his watch of the stars.

"...Do you think he could be thinking about us?" Goofy asked reluctantly.

"......I'm sure he is..." he simply replied again.

From behind the duo, Selphie appeared before them. "When I talked to King Mickey, he also talked about the two of you, too." Donald and Goofy turned their attention towards Selphie, upon hearing what Selphie said. "He told me that even though you two serve him at your kingdom, he always considered you two his best friends, and he'll always see you two for it, no matter what." Hearing caused Donald and Goofy to smile happily to the fact that King Mickey hasn't forgotten them. "And he also wanted me to give you two a message." Donald and Goofy stared intently at Selphie. "'I know that you two have traveled far and wide, but I promise you, we'll be together soon...and we'll go home together.'"

Hearing this managed to revive Donald and Goofy's spirits. Even though they had missed their King on this world, they still had hope, thanks to him. Donald walked up to Selphie and held her hand in a friendly gesture. "Selphie...thank you."

* * *

The next morning, Sora and his friends were now ready to leave the world, now that their mission was complete. Although, it was hard to part with the new friends that they have made.

"Aw, man, I can't believe you have to leave, man," complained Max to Sora.

"Yeah..." said the disappointed Sora, "But, I know we'll see each other again someday." Sora extended his hand to Max, to which Max quickly took, shaking his new friend's hand.

Mog began to glow in a brilliant light. "Mog Moogle is good to go! Kupo!!" Mog howled. Mog then sprouted his wings of light, emitting a magic light around the party.

"It sure was fun," Riku smiled to Selphie, Max, and the Turks.

"Thank you all for everything," Sora proclaimed.

"Selphie, let's see each other again someday!" Kairi cheered to Selphie.

"Yeah. Even though we don't have that technology, yet, we'll find a way to see you and your friends again!" Selphie cheered back, to which Kairi smiled to.

"Selphie, if you ever see King Mickey again, please give him our best regards!" Goofy called out.

"Sure, I'll tell him if I see him," Selphie nodded.

The light energy began to slowly engulf the party until they disappeared.

The Heart Fragment has been retrieved, but King Mickey is still out there somewhere. It was only a matter of time of whether they will see King Mickey or where the location of the next Heart Fragment will be.

And thus, the journey continues...

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	40. The Enchanted

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice  
**

_**Thoughts**_

* * *

What is this place? Why is everything so dark? Where is everyone? Sora looked around his surroundings. There was just completely nothing, but darkness. As he continued looking around, Sora jumped when he saw someone appear before him. Wait...Sora seems to know this person...

The person standing before him wore an eyepatch on the right eye. Wait...the right eye...just like when Sora looked in the mirror. He's seen this person before! But, why doesn't he know this person?

**_This...this is just like in my dream. But...back then...he was still just a kid..._**

Sora reached up towards the person, and much to his surprise, the person's hand did exactly the same thing. Was this a mirror?

**_He looks......just like me..._**

Suddenly, from within the "mirror," the person's hand suddenly emerged, reaching towards Sora. Sora tried to back away, but for some reason, he was unable to move. It was almost like his entire body was forcing Sora to just stay where he is.

The person's hand managed to grab onto Sora's neck tightly. As the person held Sora's neck, Sora did everything in his power to get out of his grasp. Sora struggled and struggled, seeing the person's face holding no expressions whatsoever. The person just merely stared at him, without expressing any kind of emotion.

Sora could feel himself losing air. His vision was getting blurry. This can't be happening...!! He's going to die!!

**Sora!!**

* * *

_**Chapter 40: The Enchanted**_

* * *

Sora continued to struggle from something, until felt someone shaking him, causing himself to shoot up from a comfortable queen sized bed, under some fancy curtains. Where is he? As Sora woke up, he found himself fact to face with Kairi, who looked at her friend with worry on her face.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that," Sora apologized to the Princess, "It felt like someone was holding me down and I couldn't get up. I'm so sorry."

"Are you okay, Sora?" asked the worried Kairi.

"I'm okay," assured Sora.

"Are you really?" Kairi asked again, "You know I'll worry even more if you're hiding it."

"I'm really okay," Sora reassured, "It was just a strange dream I had."

"...Was it a nightmare?" she questioned.

"...Something like that..." Sora said quietly, but showing no signs of being disturbed.

Although Kairi should be relieved that Sora was okay, considering it was just a nightmare that he went through, Kairi still wanted to do something to ease her friend's torment. And so, the Princess took the Keyblade master's hands into her own, puzzling Sora. "You know, when I got my Fragment back, I remembered something," recalled Kairi, "When I had nightmares when I was a little girl, Sir Zenrei once told me that this would help." Then, Kairi did something that Sora had not expected to do. The Princess slowly moved forward, and placed her head onto his, similar to how a girlfriend and a boyfriend would be close to kissing. Kairi then closed her eyes. "If Sora were to have any bad dreams, then let my good dreams be shared with him, so that Sora will always have warm dreams," she said, almost as if it were a magical ritual. Sora noticed how close he was to his Princess. In fact, if he hadn't noticed, they were actually in the range of a kiss. Sora and Kairi hadn't noticed themselves moving closer...and closer...and closer...

"Awwww, it's love, kupo!!"

Sora and Kairi immediately snapped out of their trance and turned their heads to the doorway, where they found their friends and a very pretty woman next to them. "N-n-no! I-it's not what you think!" Sora denied, while blushing out of control.

"Sora just had a nightmare, and...and..." Kairi tried to reason out, while blushing as much as Sora.

"Oh, so you two were just performing a charm, eh?" realized Riku, causing Sora and Kairi to nod rapidly in confirmation.

"But Mog could have sworn it was love, kupo!" giggled Mog, to which Pluto barked in agreement.

"Where are we?" asked Sora, trying to change the subject.

"Your in a castle, young man," the woman next to them answered, "You and your friends arrived at the courtyard and you must have passed out on the way."

"She and the master of this castle allowed you to sleep here in this bedroom," Goofy added in.

"I see," said Sora, "Thank you, Miss."

"You're very welcome. Oh, where are my manners? My name is Belle," she introduced, "It's a pleasure to meet you and your friends."

"My name is Sora," the Keyblade master introduced himself.

"Donald Duck!" Donald introduced.

"Goofy!" Goofy announced.

"I'm Riku," Riku raised his hand up.

"My name is Kairi," the Princess introduced herself politely.

"Mog is Mog, kupo!" Mog introduced happily, "And this is our friend, Pluto!" Pluto barked an introductory bark.

"You must be thirsty, I have some tea ready. Would you like some?" Belle offered to the group.

"Oh, yes, thank you," Sora obliged on behalf of his friends.

Belle went to the side table at Sora's bedside and poured some tea for Sora and her friends. As Belle poured tea in the teacup, Kairi smelled the pleasant scent of lemon and honey. "The tea smells so nice," commented Kairi.

"Does it?" asked Belle, "I'm not really good with making tea. Someone actually helped me make this." With that said, Belle had finished pouring the last cup of tea, before handing it out to the rest. "Here you go, everyone. Please enjoy."

"Thank you very much," said the joyful Kairi.

The party took in a sip of their tea, and much to their satisfaction, it was rather thirst quenching. Sora was the last one to try the tea. However, before he even had the chance to try the drink, the sound of a boy came out of nowhere. Or rather, the sound came from his hand. Why was Sora's teacup moving like it had a life of its own?

"Do you like the tea, sir?" asked the teacup boy.

Sora jumped in surprise, nearly dropping the teacup/boy on the bed. Sora and his friends had not expected a simple cup to just come to life just like that. What was going on?

"Whoa!" exclaimed the surprised Goofy.

"It talked!" Donald noticed.

"Oh, goodness, gracious, where are your manners, child? You startled the lad."

"I'm sorry, Mother," said the apologetic teacup boy.

The party looked around to look for the source of the voice. Where are these voices coming from? And why was this boy a teacup? Suddenly, as the party looked at the side table, the teapot suddenly sprang to life, showing a face of a woman who was most likely in her late 40s. "I apologize for my son startling you, dears," the teapot said.

"Even the teapot talks, kupo!" exclaimed the surprised Mog. Pluto walked up to the female teapot, sniffing around it, checking for anything suspicious, only to find nothing out of the ordinary, which confused the yellow dog.

"How are you able to talk?" asked the curious Riku.

"Oh, you must be talking about my form," the teapot noted, "Well, it's safe to say, my friends, but this isn't really my true form. You see, I used to be a human."

"A human?" asked the puzzled Sora, "What do you mean by that?"

"Allow me to explain," the teapot began, "If you don't mind, young man, would you please set my son down next to me?"

"Oh, sure," Sora obliged. Sora gently set the half-full teacup boy down next to the teapot lady.

"Thank you," said the teapot lady, "Oh, before I begin, allow me to introduce myself. I am the head of the castle's kitchen, Mrs. Potts. You, of course, know my son, Chip."

"Please to meet you all," Chip spoke up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too, kupo!" Mog said happily, "Shake hands, shake hands, kupo!" Mog held out his paw, wanting to shake the boy's hand.

"Oh...um...sorry, Mister, but....I don't have any hands." Chip twirled around to show that he indeed had no hands.

"No hands? Mmm...Mog wanted to shake hands with you, kupo..." Mog pouted disappointedly.

"Perhaps, one day, you will young one."

The party turned their heads towards the door, to see more inanimate objects brought to life. It was strange indeed. Who would have thought that there would be a candelabra and a small clock that had inhabited lives of their own? The candelabra and the clock immediately hopped their way towards the party.

"It seems you are awake, young man," noted the candelabra, "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," Sora politely replied.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves," the clock prostrated himself, "I am the majordomo of this castle. My name is Cogsworth. This is my friend and maitre d' of the castle, Lumiere."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," said Goofy, "My name's Goofy. This is Sora, Donald, Riku, Pluto, Mog, and Princess Kairi."

"Is there something going on here?" asked the curious Lumiere.

"Actually, I was just about to tell everyone why we appear the way we are," replied Mrs. Potts. Everyone quieted down for Mrs. Potts to begin her story about how everyone used to be human, just like what Mrs. Potts had mentioned earlier. "Well, it was a cold winter's night. You see, the master of this castle, was a rich, but spoiled, selfish person. One night, he was approached by an old beggar. The beggar tried to ask for shelter, offering a rose as a gift."

"But the master instead turned the old beggar away," continued Lumiere, "But, that would prove to be the ultimate mistake he has ever made."

"You see, the old beggar was not who she appeared to be," Cogsworth interjected, "The old beggar was actually an enchantress in disguise. The enchantress then punished the master, by turning him into......well...how should I say......not human. And to further punish him, she transformed all the inhabitants of the castle, including ourselves."

"That's just awful," Donald commented.

"But, like Cogsworth said, it was my mistake to begin with..."

The party turned their attention towards the voice, which came from the other side of the room, in the hallway. The voice was very low-toned. It almost sounded like a monster. They heard footsteps marching closer and closer. Even the footsteps didn't sound like a normal human being's. Then, much to their shock, what they found coming through the doorway was not a man...but a monster! It was big, brown-furred, demon, with black horns and fangs showing from the mouth. The monster wore no shoes and no shirt, wearing only dark teal pants and a purple cape, possibly symboling nobility.

"Kyaa, it's a bad guy, kupo!" Mog yelled in alarm. The monster turned his head, staring silently at the moogle for his comment. Mog hid himself behind Pluto for safety reasons. The way Mog looked at the monster, it looked like it was about to eat Mog for what he said.

"Don't take it offensively, Beast," Belle persuaded, "He didn't mean anything by it." Those words seemed to have convinced this "Beast" to calm down, though it didn't look like it was ready to hurt Mog at all.

"Allow me to introduce to you, my master, and the lord of this castle," Cogsworth presented, "This is Lord--"

"Just call me Beast," Beast said quickly to Sora and his friends, interrupting Cogsworth, "...I think it will be easier that way..."

"...Beast, huh?" said Riku, "...Not exactly an ideal name, don't you think?"

Beast merely remained silent. However, he also took notice to Riku's comment. While it was not meant to be offensive, he couldn't help but acknowledge that Riku was right. Beast didn't show it, but he looked a bit regretful about the name.

"Beast was the one who help you in here, Sora," explained Belle.

"I see," Sora said, now knowing the whole story, "Thank you, Beast."

"...You're welcome," Beast said quietly, "What are you and your friends doing here? No one usually enters my castle."

"We're travelers. We came from a faraway place, in researching legends from around the world," Goofy half-lied.

"All of you, together?" asked Lumiere.

"Yes," answered Kairi, "We are researching various legends from different countries that we travel to."

"How wonderful," Belle smiled at Sora's group, "You should tell us all about it."

"Perhaps some other time, Belle," the Beast waved off, "There is something that I need to show you."

"What is it?" asked the curious Belle.

The Beast took Belle by the hand and began to lead her towards the door. "You'll see." Whatever the Beast was going to show Belle, it was kind of agitating. She desperately wanted to know what the Beast was going to show her. Beast had led Belle out into the hallway.

"Mog wants to see, too, kupo!" Mog hopped off of Pluto's head and continued hopping towards the doorway and out into the hallway. Pluto barked indistinctly after Mog's departure and began following after the moogle.

"Wait for me, you two!" Goofy followed after Pluto and Mog, followed by Donald.

"I'm kind of curious myself to see what the Beast wants to show Belle," Riku spoke, as he and his friends watched the others go after Belle, "Who knows, maybe it might be a Heart Fragment?"

"You think so?" Kairi asked.

"It's a possibility...why don't we go see?" Sora got up from the bed and followed Donald and Goofy. As soon as Sora began walking into the hallway, Kairi and Riku followed after the Keyblade master.

"Well, what are we waiting for, everyone? Let's follow them!" Lumiere announced to everyone before hopping off to see what the Beast wants to show Belle.

* * *

The Beast brought Belle in front of two doors. Belle was not sure what was behind this door, but for some reason, she couldn't help but think there was something big back there. Something wondrous...

"What's behind there?" asked the curious Belle.

"That's what I want to show you." The Beast placed his paws on the door, ready to open the for Belle, only to stop as soon as he gripped the door handle. "But first...you must close your eyes." Belle raised a questioning eyebrow, almost wanting to protest against the suspense that the Beast is keeping her in. The Beast saw how Belle was reacting. "It's a surprise."

Though reluctant, she sighed in defeat and complied. It looks like she will have to wait and see with her own eyes. Without her eyes to guide her, she could hear the door open, before the Beast guided Belle in. When Belle entered whatever room this was, Sora and the rest of the group, as well as the Beast's servants. Beast, though he didn't mind the rest tagging along, chose to ignore them for now, since this surprise is meant for Belle only. Soon, Belle stopped in her tracks and her eyes were still shut.

"All right...open your eyes." Belle opened her eyes slowly. And upon regaining her sight, what she saw was something that was completely astonishing. No, perhaps "astonishing" wasn't the right word, because what she saw was completely wonderful! It was a gigantic library! Belle couldn't believe her eyes. The entire room, that was previously condemned, before she even entered the castle, was completely remodeled. She couldn't imagine what kind of books the Beast had stored here. It had to range from fiction, nonfiction, and research books of all kinds.

"Oh, Beast! It's wonderful!" Belle exclaimed happily, throwing her arms around him. The Beast smiled for Belle. Seeing her this happy had never felt so special to the Beast, not since he brought her in. "Look at all these books!" Belle searched every shelf for any book that would interest her. Sora and his friends have noticed that Belle had a fondness for books, from the way she quickly walked around the library. If Sora and his friend's didn't know any better, this library was like a home to Belle.

"Gawrsh, this place is almost as big as the King's private library, Donald," noted Goofy, as he eyed around the place.

"Yeah, just looking around this place is almost making me dizzy." Donald almost fell back as he leaned back to see the towering book shelves.

Mog fell on his stomach on top of Donald's hat. "Mog is feeling dizzy, too, kupo..." Mog suddenly placed his paws on his mouth, almost as if he was about to spit out an alarming amount of waste products out.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Donald immediately grabbed Mog and held the moogle in front of him. "What are you trying to do? You're going to throw up all over me!"

"Mog couldn't help it," the sickly moogle tried to reason.

"Hold on, deary." Mrs. Potts hopped towards Donald and Mog. "My special tea should make you feel all better." Donald held Mog in front of Mrs. Potts. "Open wide!" Mog opened his mouth and allowed the tea to spill into his mouth. Thanks to Mrs. Potts tea, Mog was able to gulp everything down, before the moogle had the chance to throw himself up.

Kairi looked around her surroundings. She was amazed to see how many books were displayed in the shelves. She hadn't see this many books since her world. "This place reminds me of my home, Sora." Hearing this grabbed Sora's attention. "When I was a little girl, my friend, Sir Zenrei, would accompany me to castle library," Kairi reminisced, "He'd read stories to me...like fairy tales and such. Then, I would fall asleep, and he would take me to my room." Sora smiled at how much Kairi remembered a piece of her recovered memory. "Also...there was a time I was with someone, just to show that person one of my favorite places to visit in the palace......but..."

* * *

_Little Kairi took someone in by the hand, leading this person into the royal library. Little Kairi was excited to bring this person into her home and into the palace's library. _

_"This is one of my favorite places in the palace," Little Kairi told the person behind her, "You can find all kinds of books here. Do you want to take a look at our collection, ____?"_

_Little Kairi looked behind her to see the person and smile kindly to this person. However...what she hadn't notice was that there was no one there......and yet..._

* * *

Sora frowned secretly behind Kairi. Why does he have to be constantly reminded of his sacrifice? He knows that it was for a good cause, but it broke his heart when he was constantly reminded that Kairi will never remember him again, possibly forever.

Seeking to get his mind off of his broken heart, Sora took a look around the library as well. Sora just didn't know where to start. There were a lot of interesting materials to read. The library even had some archeology materials that greatly interested Sora. Even though he was far away from home, his passion for archeology had not diminished, not one bit. Sora opened a few of those books and saw how much that world had found some ancient discoveries. He was rather impressed with how detailed the book was, especially with how the pictures displayed the ancient architectures, artifacts, etc.

After Sora finished viewing the archeology books, he took another look around the library, until he found a particular book. Sora narrowed his eyes upon seeing the spine of the book. Was that...a heart? "Beast?" Sora called out, grabbing the Beast's attention. The Beast approached Sora, wondering what Sora needed. "What kind of book is that?" Sora pointed out the book with the heart on the spine. The Beast raised one eye brow in a questioning gaze.

The Beast reached out and grabbed the book. "What is this?" The Beast opened the book to see what kind of content it contained, only to find something strange about it. "This is odd..."

"What's wrong?" asked Sora.

"This book isn't even written," the Beast notified Sora, "It's completely blank."

"Blank?" Sora was confused. Why would the Beast have a blank book?

"In fact...I don't remember having this in my collection...," the Beast realized, before handing the book to Sora, "Please dispose of this when you're done."

As the Beast left to tend to Belle, who was now reading the vast collection of books, Sora opened the book to confirm what the Beast said. As he peered into the book, Sora began to feel strange...what's happening to him? Wait......where is he?

* * *

Sora looked at his surroundings. Where did the library go? Where's Donald, Goofy, Riku, Pluto, Mog, and Princess Kairi? Where's the Beast, Belle, Mrs. Potts, Chip, Cogsworth, and Lumiere? Why is he outside? Sora found himself in some kind of beautiful field. Birds were chirping, flowers bloomed beautifully, and the air gave of a pleasant scent.

_**Where am I? Where is everyone? Donald! Goofy! Riku! Pluto! Mog! Princess! Did I just enter a new world without noticing? ...No...there's no way I could go to another world without Mog. Think! What could have happened? What could have caused this? **_Sora looked down and he found that he was still holding the book in his hands. However, there was something different. _**The book...! There was nothing written in this book before!**_

Sora flipped through the pages and found more written contents on more pages. It was almost as if it had been written for a long time. As Sora looked up at his surroundings, he found himself in another setting. Now, he was in what appears to be a ballroom. What was he doing here? As Sora began to wonder why he was in another place, he heard the sound of a child laughing. It was coming from outside...in the courtyard. Sora ran out of the ballroom, and out in the hallway, and finally out into the courtyard. Surprisingly, that layout of the castle was...familiar. Deja vu, perhaps?

Sora entered the courtyard and found a family of three, and numerous people around the courtyard. Among the family, there was an adult male and female, and a child, a boy. The boy smiled happily as he was holding the hand of what seems to be his mother.

_**...Who is that boy?**_

* * *

**_To be continued…_**


	41. The Birth of The Beast

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are my own copies of Kingdom Hearts I and II. I don't own anything else in this fic.

* * *

_Past_

**Previous parts in chapter or another voice**

_**Thoughts  
**_

* * *

___A noble family was spending a wonderful family time together in their courtyard in a beautiful sunny day. The castle was enormous. Only a rich prince would be able to afford this kind of luxurious home. The castle was surrounded by numerous flowers, tended by the finest gardener the family had hired. As the family walked around the garden of their castle, a young boy ran around happily, enjoying the sun and the aroma the flowers had given off. The noble mother and father watched as their son ran around happily. Along with the family, they were accompanied by a group of loyal subjects; one providing personal service to the father, and the other providing shade over the mother._

___"You seem to be enjoying yourself," the mother smiled to her son._

___"I love this place, Mother," the boy said happily to her mother, "I love being out here, with you, Father, and everyone else."_

___The father walked up to his son, placing a comforting, warm hand on his son's shoulder. "And I'm happy to see you happy, my son. Seeing you smile is what makes my life worth living."_

___The son smiled towards his father for his words. This boy was truly lucky to have someone like him as a father._

* * *

_**Chapter 41: The Birth of the Beast**_

* * *

_The boy continued to wander around the castle garden, with his family and the servant following after him. As the boy wandered around the garden, he stopped in his tracks to find something that caught his interest. He found a bush of red flowers, the brightest flowers he had ever seen. There was not just one, but more, probably about ten bushes of red flowers._

_"They're so pretty..." said the boy._

_"Do you like them, young master?" The butler appeared behind the boy._

_"Yes, they're very beautiful!" exclaimed the boy, "What are they?"_

_"They are called roses, my dear." The mother knelt down next to her son, looking at the red roses with him. "When your father and I first met, he gave me a bouquet of these red roses. You see, roses are a symbol of love. That's why we have grown these roses. Someday, we wish to give these roses to all of our friends and loved ones. And who knows...perhaps maybe you will find a girl," the mother smiled to her son._

_"Now, see here, darling," the father interjected, "He is far too young to be finding love, wouldn't you agree?"_

_"'Too young,' you say?" The mother cocked one eyebrow, questioningly, "Need I remind you, my dear, that you were young than your son when we first met."_

_"Yes, but that was me," the father pointed out, "This is my son we are talking about."_

_The boy smiled as he stared at the red roses. The rose being a flower of love, finding a girl when he grows up. It sounded like a story his mother once told him, about how a knight in shining armor would slay the terrible beast, and in the end, he would be praised as a hero and get the woman of his dreams. Someday, perhaps, he will be that knight in shining armor, and be a hero, revered by all. A great dream for such a kind boy._

_"Someday...I'll be a knight..." the boy declared._

_The father smiled in delight at the show of his son's newly acquired ambition. "I'm sure you'll make a fine knight, my son," the father said, placing his hands on his shoulder._

* * *

_Months have passed. It was a dark, rainy night. Thunder and lightning were clashing in the dark skies. The laborers of the castle were not at work at the moment. It wasn't because they had a day-off, courtesy of their masters. No. Far from it. Tonight, marked probably the most terrible day the inhabitants of the castle had ever experienced. The boy and the servants waited outside of the master bedroom, where the boy's parents were residing right now. The maitre d' held onto the boy's shoulders, trying to comfort him, while the kitchen head was offering tea to the boy, to which he declined. Tonight was no night to have a cup of tea, even if the tea is the finest masterpiece the kitchen has ever made._

_After what seemed like an eternity, someone emerged from the room, with a large bag. This man was well-dressed, almost as if he were a rich, nobleman. The Majordomo approached the well-dressed man, with a concerned look on his face. "How are they, doctor? Can you help them?" asked the worried Majordomo._

_The doctor looked at everyone. After a second of silence, the doctor shook his head in regret. "I'm sorry to say, but I'm afraid there is nothing I can do for them," the doctor responded with much sadness. Everyone around the room was shocked to hear the news. The boy, on the other hand, was more than shocked...he was devastated. How can this happen? Why? Why now? Why them? "The only thing you can do now is make them as comfortable as possible," the doctor suggested, sadly._

_"...No..." the boy spoke up, doing everything in his power to hold his tears in, "...you're lying..."_

_"Young master..." the maitre d' tried to calm him down, but to no avail._

_The boy roughly removed his servant's hands off of his shoulders and ran towards the doctor, grabbing his free hand. "You're lying!" the boy exclaimed in tears of frustration, "There has to be something you can do! Anything! What do you want! Do you want money! Do you want the roses in our garden! What about our castle! We'll give it to you! Just please, you have to help my mother and father!"_

_"...Young man...please..." the doctor tried his hand in trying to calm the boy down. The doctor wanted to help the boy's parents. He really did. However, like he said, there was nothing that can be done. Even if he were paid thousands, nothing could make things any better._

_"Young master, please, stop this," the Majordomo advised._

_"But he has to do something! He just has to!" the boy cried. The boy pleaded the doctor so much, that he couldn't spare any more energy left to stand on his feet. As the boy sobbed hard on the ground, the maitre d' approached his young master and picked him up gently, allowing him to sob into him._

_"I did everything in my power, young sir," the doctor spoke truthfully, "But the disease they contracted I cannot cure. ...I'm terribly sorry."_

_The boy continued to cry uncontrollably. He was going to lose his mother and father, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Only after a moment of silence, everyone heard a whisper from the master bedroom. The sound of..._

_"My son..." the mother spoke weakly, "...please...come here..."_

_"...M-Mother?" the boy sobbed._

_The maitre d' led the boy into the master bedroom, to allow him to be with his parents. The boy took a good look at his parents, who lied on separate beds. His parents were obviously sickly. They were terribly pale, having fits of coughs. It looked like the light could dim out at any moment. Seeing as he had no reason to be in the presence of his masters, the maitre d' quietly exited the room, closing the doors behind him. The boy slowly approached his parents' bedside, placing a hand on his mother's hand. She was cold. There was hardly any warmth left._

_"...My son...my beautiful son..." the mother whispered gently, "Please...don't be sad..."_

_"Mother, please hold on," the boy pleaded, "I'll make you get better! Just don't leave me!" The boy wept into his mother's hand._

_"...My son...please do not...weep," the father whispered weakly. The son moved to gently grab his dying father's hand. Like the mother's, his hands were also too cold. Another sign of his time to come. "We gave you...a good life...my son..." the father continued to whisper, "...You must...treasure it..."_

_"...My son...please...hear me..." the mother moaned quietly, knowing her time is near. The son focused his attention on his mother. "Promise us...promise us...that you'll...be a great...man...and have a...happy life..."_

_"...Mother...I promise..." the boy sniffled._

_"...My son..." the father placed a comforting, if not weak, hand on his son's shoulder, "You must...always...show kindness and fairness...to others... Treat them...with the same...respect...as our servants..."_

_With a final breath, the mother and father's weak grip became no more. The son, seeing what had transpired, immediately began shaking his parents. "Mother! Father! No! Please! Wake up! Please, wake up! Mother! Father!" But there was nothing. Not a single breath of life exited their mouths. The servants burst into the room, after hearing their young master yelling about. To their shock, they found their masters in their beds, sleeping peacefully...and forever._

_The son fell to his knees, weeping for the deaths of his beloved parents. the maitre d' approached his young master and gently picked him up. With the son up, the maitre d' took the liberty of escorting him out. "I'll see him to bed," the maitre d' informed the Majordomo, to which the Majordomo nodded in confirmation. The Majordomo dismissed the maitre d'. With the maitre d' tending to the son, the Majordomo had a big responsibility at hand._

_"See to it that we make preparations within two days," the Majordomo requested to the servants, "I will see to masters." The servants left the Majordomo to perform their needed duties. It was time for them to keep themselves busy until the time comes. The Majordomo stared at the sleeping bodies of his masters, silently mourning for them. "Oh, masters, if only you hadn't left us so soon..."_

* * *

_Two days later, a funeral procession was being held at the castle. The Majordomo had asked a priest to perform the service. The servants gathered in the rose garden, behind the castle. In this peaceful part of the castle, it was the best suited burial ground for the mother and father. Unfortunately, this day did not show any sunlight, for the sky was full of rain, as if the sky were crying for the two parents. It was no surprise to find the son mourning for his beloved parents. After all, they were his whole world. He had such a good time with them. Talking to them, laughing with them, playing with them, even sharing his fantasies with them. Now, they will never see him grow up to be a man, nor will he ever see their smile again._

_"You were the finest people to have ever lived. The world is a lesser place without you. But I know that you are in heaven now, and you are happier there. It has been an honor serving you both," the Majordomo spoke in the funeral._

_The son approached, still showing tears. After a minute of silence, the son finally spoke up. "Mother...Father...I really wish you were still around. There are so many things I wanted to do with you. But...I love you both, so much."_

_The maitre d' approached the boy, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. The boy did his best to dry his tears, as the priest performed a final prayer for the dearly departed. The funeral procession lasted for more than an hour. When it ended, the sky seemed to have stopped raining, though it was still overcast, as if the sky was showing that it was still not over the deaths of the two parents. Two servants stayed behind to see to it that the caskets were properly buried, while the rest of the servants and the child headed on inside._

* * *

_The son looked out into the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set. It was like a piece of himself had been lost, and happiness along with it. What is he to do now?_

_"Young master?" the Majordomo announced, upon entering his room. The boy turned around to see the head servant standing at the doorway. "I must speak with you. Please sit" The Majordomo gestured to the boy's bed. When the boy took his seat, the Majordomo sat next to him. "I know that this has been a very hard time for you. Words alone cannot make you feel any better. But I just wanted to let you know, that whatever happens, I will help you. I will take good care of you. You have my word."_

_The boy listened very carefully to his servant's words. He had no one to care for him. His parents were gone, and his servants were all he had left. He still needed someone, a surrogate father. While they are not related by blood, the Majordomo is the closest thing he has to a father. "I'd like you and everyone to stay."_

_The Majordomo nodded in response. "We will do just that, young master. We will do everything in our power to make you happy." The Majordomo gave the boy a small smile, showing his sincerity. The boy smiled to the Majordomo before giving him a hug. The head servant returned the boy's hug. "Now...let's head on down. You must be starving."_

_"Yes...I am," said the boy._

* * *

_Years have passed, and the boy had finally become a young man. During the following years, the young man had seen his parents's last will, stating that in the event of their untimely death, he shall inherit their fortune and the castle. The servants have stayed by his side, even during his growth into young adulthood. The young man had everything he could ever want. He had wealth, glory; the time of his life. For the first time in his life, he was living like a king. Unfortunately, like all good things, they must come to an end, one way or another. While the young man had everything he could ever want, it was not enough for him. He had become increasingly greedy and selfish. Whenever he didn't get what he wanted, he would scold his servants or anyone else he could blame. Today was the annual anniversary of the Savior's Birth. It was supposed to be a time of sharing, laughing, and loving. But it has become the complete opposite. For the young man was not in any kind of good mood to begin with. If his parents had been around, the castle would have a lighter mood. But alas, this will never happen anymore..._

_"Bring me my presents!" the young man demanded his servants._

_"Yes, Your Highness," the __maitre d' replied to his demanding master, while still holding a smile. The maitre d' knelt down before his master, presenting a wrapped item, complete with a ribbon. "Please, accept this gift as a token of our appreciation." The young man rolled his eyes and snorted, uninterested. "I know I speak for everyone when-"_

_Having heard enough, the young man quickly swiped the gift from his servant's hand in frustration. "Oh, just give it to me!" The maitre d' was shocked at his master's unkind gesture. But then again, there was nothing they could do. They swore an oath that he and his fellow servants would serve their master, in honor of the deceased parents. However, they never thought that it would come to this. They never knew where they went wrong. They served him faithfully, after he had received the inheritance from his parents. Yet, no one could figure out how he could go from a kindhearted young man to a cold-hearted man, with the heart of a greedy king. The young man quickly opened gift, tearing through the wrappings in excitement. Unfortunately, to him, his excitement was quickly washed away when he saw what his gift was. "A storybook?" the young man asked in pure disbelief, "You call this a present?" The young man callously threw the book away, showing no interest, and seeing no use for the gift. _

_Before the young man could open any more gifts, he heard some knockings on his front door. "Who disturbs my Christmas?" the young man exclaimed in anger._

* * *

_ The young man decided to see to the door himself. Whoever this visitor is, the young man will send him/her away. No one dares to ruin his holiday for him. Swinging the door open, the young man was greeted with a sickly old hag. This old woman was not, what one would say, pretty, and not because of old age. This old woman look as if she had a disease, no place to even live, judging from the raggedly old robes and hood that she wore. In her hands, she had a cane to hold her delicate self up, and a rose..._

_"Please, take this rose in exchange for shelter from the bitter cold," the old hag pleaded to the young man._

_The young man scoffed at the old hag's offer. "I don't need a rose. Go away, you wretched old hag!" With that said, the young man slammed the doors shut, in front of the old hag. _

_The young man marched back to the ballroom, to await more gifts. So far, his Christmas was already getting worst. First, the worst of the worst gifts his servants could ever give him, and then, an old hag visits his castle, asking for a place to stay. For all he cared, the old hag could rot in the snow. Before he could reach the door, a flash of light blinded him. After shielding himself from the light, the young man look towards the door. To his shock and disbelief, he found the same old hag, waiting for him, in the same position he had left her._

_"How did you get in?" the young man demanded, "Answer me!"_

_Before the old hag could answer, her elder appearance had began to glow in a strange light, until... Behold! For before the young master, an enchantress appeared. The young man was captivated by her radiant beauty. It was as if God Himself had sent him an angel. "You, who have turned away an old hag, are nothing but a selfish man. I have seen the coldness of your heart. Uncaring, unkind," the enchantress declared, with such a beautiful voice, "You are not worthy of such mercy."_

_"No! No, please!" Now it was the master's turn to plead, as he knelt to the ground, "I beg of you. Please, forgive me and my foolishness. Please, give me a chance!"_

_Without a word of reply, the enchantress merely touched the young man on his back. With a spark of light, the young man writhed and screamed in pain. The servants heard the scream from inside the ball and quickly charged towards the door. Swinging the door open violently, they found their master writhing on the ground, as if he were in pain. But amidst the event, they found the enchantress hovering over their master. Without a word, the enchantress summoned a magic spell. A swirl of light surrounded each and every one of the servants and castle residents. Before anyone knew it, they had been transformed into something not human. One found himself as a candelabra, one found himself as a pendulum clock, one as a teapot, with her son as a teacup; and many more. They were all shocked to find their new forms. Unfortunately, that was not the worst of it. The master was the last one to take a different form. His last scream was, at last, replaced his clothes tearing apart and a violent roar. A roar of a monster. With his transformation complete, the master looked at his hands. They were not human! They were a monster's! What has happened to him? The master looked around for anything to see his face. He quickly ran to his parlor, one of the few places that has a mirror. The master was too hesitant to see what he was afraid to see, but he needed to know..._

_Slowly approaching the mirror, the master looked into his reflection. He was horrified! What he saw was not his face. In fact, what he saw, was not even human. Horrified, the master let out a roar of terror. The master quickly ran out of the parlor and out of the castle, seeking desperately for help. _

_"Master! Please, don't go!" the Majordomo yelled to his master. He wanted to do something to stop him. Who know what will happen to the master, now that he was "different." But as a pendulum clock, what could he do?_

* * *

_The master quickly ran through the forest, seeking anyone. Someone was bound to help him. Right? As he ran and ran, he managed to find a couple, taking resident in a makeshift shelter of their own, with campfire. The woman was wrapped in a blanket, while the man was away from the woman, gathering more wood for the campfire. Eager for help, the master approached the family._

_"You there! Please, help me!" the master pleaded._

_The woman screamed in fear at the sight of the master. "It's a monster!"_

_The man, most likely her husband, quickly grabbed a fire stick, and waved it from left to right, as if it were a torch. "Back! Back away, I said!" The man did what he can to fight off the monster, trying to protect his wife. The master shielded himself from the fire and embers. Why was he trying to attack him? He was just trying to get help from someone. A nobleman should not be treated this way! In anger, the master backhanded the man, causing his unconscious form to slide away to a stop. However, the master's anger quickly faded away, upon realizing what he had just done. He didn't mean to strike him down. He was just trying to stop him from attacking. It wasn't supposed to be like this..._

_The wife ran towards her husband, after seeing him get injured. The wife quickly used her blanket to shield her husband from the unforgiving cold. "Please, leave us alone! Don't hurt us!" cried the wife._

_The master was shocked at the damage he had just done. The master panicked until he ran away, leaving the couple alone._

_

* * *

_

_So many hours had passed. No one knew when the master came back to his castle. But from what he was showing, he was expressing great sorrow. He tried to find help from many people in the woods and in the nearby village. But like the first couple, he was met with frightful people. If he had stuck around, he would undoubtedly be slaughtered by their pitchforks and torches. Fortunately, for him, they would not find where he resides, due to the snow, and the darkness of the night. But no one will offer him any help for his condition._

_As he sat on the ground in his bedroom, all alone, someone approached him from behind. Turning around, he found the very person he was looking for. "Enchantress! Please, I beg of you. Please, change me back!" pleaded the master, "I'll change my ways! I'll show my servants and everyone kindness. I give you my word. I can't take this anymore! Please, help me!" The master was beginning to weep._

_"I will do no such thing," the enchantress stated, after a moment of silence. The master looked to the enchantress in shock. Why would the enchantress refuse to help him? "You have shown me what your heart truly is. Over the years, you have thrown away your mother and father's love and kindness for wealth and glory. In the end, you shut your heart out from love. And thus, you shall take this form, as it matches the nature of your heart. This form is your punishment for all the selfish deeds you have done." She then magically presented the same rose to the master. This time, it was encased in a glass jar. "This enchanted rose shall bloom on your 21st year. You will be given one more chance to redeem yourself. If you will learn to love another; and be loved by her, in return, before the last petal falls, I shall lift the spell. But if you fail...you will be the monstrosity that you are, forever." The enchantress turned to depart, and leave the master to his fate. Before she left for good, she turned her head towards him. "But one must wonder...could anyone ever love you...even if you weren't such a monstrosity?" With those haunting words, the enchantress disappeared for good, leaving the master nothing but a small, if not tiny, amount of hope. The master may as well just kill himself. What kind of chance could he have with this?_

_With practically nothing, the master let out a roar of despair. Before anyone knew it, the master threw everything in his room. Furniture, mirrors, portraits, everything. The last thing he destroyed was a portrait of himself. The master, ashamed of what he had done, destroyed the last piece of his humanity. What has he done? How could this have happened because of him? This was not the life he wanted. This was not the life his mother and father told him to live. He wanted to live a great life, as great as his father's. But now..._

_The master let out one last roar of despair. _

_All hope was lost to him._

_...For who could ever learn to love...a Beast?_

_

* * *

_

A single tear fell on the one of the pages. While Kairi and the others were looking around in Belle's newly, refurbished library, Sora continued to look at the blank book that the Beast had lent him. Kairi saw that Sora was still reading it. In fact, he had been reading it quite a while, and hasn't even moved from his spot since. Kairi, with Mog on her shoulder, walked up to Sora to go check on him. When she faced Sora, what she saw made her go wide-eyed.

"Sora?" Kairi looked at Sora, who was holding a shocked expression on his face. Not only that, but uncontrolled tears fell from his eyes. It was like Sora had just seen something too tragic. Riku, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Belle, Beast, and the rest of the castle residents noticed that Kairi had a concerned look, concerning Sora.

Riku and the others noticed the same look that Kairi took notice of. Was it from the book? Riku grabbed the book and tried to take it away. However, the book wouldn't budge. As much as Riku pulled, Sora wouldn't let go. The strange part was that Sora wasn't holding onto the book very tightly. It was like it was glued on. "He's not letting go," said the concerned Riku.

Donald and Goofy even tried to separate his arms from the book, but even they weren't responsive to Donald and Goofy's strength. Kairi and Mog tried working together to pull the book away from Sora, to no avail. Pluto even bit into Sora's ankle, hoping that the pain would wake him up. But it wasn't working. Sora wasn't even responding to Pluto's bite.

Finally, the Beast came up to Sora and grabbed the book. "Let go of that, now!" commanded the Beast. As soon as the he grabbed the book, Sora's grip finally released the book and he fell back, having lost the strength to stand any more.

Before the Keyblade master fell to the floor completely, Goofy grabbed his arm, gently setting him down to the ground. Everyone was puzzled to see what Sora was expressing. They found him crying and weeping. What happened to him?

"Beast...I'm so sorry..." sobbed Sora.

What Sora saw was too much for him to comprehend. Among the tragedies he had seen on his journey, this was the most tragic of them all.

* * *

_**To be continued...**_


End file.
